Handcart

ABSTRACT

A handcart may include a frame; a drive wheel rotatably supported by the frame about a rotation axis extending in a right-left direction; a prime mover configured to rotate the drive wheel; a bracket pivotably supported by the frame about a pivot axis extending in an up-down direction; and a non-drive wheel supported by the bracket about a rotation axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. The non-drive wheel may include a first non-drive wheel and a second non-drive wheel, and the first non-drive wheel and the second non-drive wheel may be configured to be rotatable independent of each other.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priorities to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-146877, filed on Aug. 8, 2019, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-146879, filed on Aug. 8, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL HELD

The technique disclosed herein relates to a handcart.

BACKGROUND

Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3210118 describes a handcart. This handcart includes a frame, a drive wheel rotatably supported by the frame about a rotation axis extending in a right-left direction, a prime mover configured to rotate the drive wheel, a bracket pivotably supported by the frame about a pivot axis extending in an up-down direction, and a non-drive wheel supported by the bracket about a rotation axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction.

Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3210118 describes another handcart. This handcart includes a prime mover, a chassis frame, a front wheel unit supported by the chassis frame, and a rear wheel unit supported by the chassis frame. The front wheel unit includes a first front wheel and a second front wheel configured to be driven by the prime mover. The rear wheel unit includes a rear wheel frame extending in the right-left direction and a first rear wheel and a second rear Wheel supported by the rear wheel frame.

SUMMARY

A handcart as described in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3210118 may collide with a bump with its non-drive wheel oblique to the bump. In such a situation, the non-drive wheel would easily cross over the bump, if the traveling direction of the non-drive wheel is changed to become perpendicular to the bump. However, a configuration in which only one non-drive wheel is supported by a bracket, such as the configuration in the handcart of Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3210118, has difficulty in changing a state of the non-drive wheel from a state where the non-drive wheel is obliquely in contact with the bump to a state where the traveling direction of the non-drive wheel is perpendicular to the bump. The disclosure herein provides a technique that enables a non-drive wheel to easily cross over a bump when the non-drive wheel obliquely collides with the bump.

When a handcart as described in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3210118 travels on an uneven surface, at least one of its first front wheel, second front wheel, first rear wheel, and second rear wheel may be lifted up due to the surface unevenness. If the first front wheel and/or the second front wheel, which are both drive wheels, is/are lifted up, the first front wheel and/or the second front wheel just spin(s), as a result of which the handcart may become unable to travel using power from its prime mover. The disclosure herein also provides a technique that prevents a drive wheel from spinning when a handcart travels on an uneven surface.

A handcart disclosed herein may comprise a frame; a drive wheel rotatably supported by the frame about a rotation axis extending in a right-left direction; a prime mover configured to rotate the drive wheel; a bracket pivotably supported by the frame about a pivot axis extending in an up-down direction; and a non-drive wheel rotatably supported by the bracket about a rotation axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. The non-drive wheel includes a first non-drive wheel and a second non-drive wheel. The first non-drive wheel and the second non-drive wheel may be configured to be rotatable independent of each other.

When the non-drive wheel obliquely collides with a bump and the first non-drive wheel, for example, makes contact with the bump, the above configuration allows the second non-drive wheel, which is not in contact with the bump, to rotate relative to the first non-drive wheel, thus the traveling direction of the non-drive wheel can thereby be easily changed to become perpendicular to the bump. Even when the non-drive wheel obliquely collides with a bump, the above configuration enables the non-drive wheel to easily cross over the bump.

Another handcart disclosed herein may comprise a prime mover; a chassis frame; a front wheel unit supported by the chassis frame; and a rear wheel unit swingably supported by the chassis frame about a swing axis extending in a front-rear direction. The front wheel unit may include a first front wheel and a second front wheel configured to be driven by the prime mover. The rear wheel unit may include a rear wheel frame extending in a direction perpendicular to the swing axis; and a first rear wheel and a second rear wheel supported by the rear wheel frame. In a rear plan view of the handcart, the swing axis is disposed above a straight line that passes an upper end of the first rear wheel and an upper end of the second rear wheel.

In this configuration, the rear wheel frame supporting the first and second rear wheels swings with respect to the chassis frame about the swing axis extending in the front-rear direction. Thus, when the handcart travels on an uneven surface, the configuration can keep the first front wheel, the second front wheel, the first rear wheel, and the second rear wheel in contact with the surface to follow the surface unevenness. The first front wheel and the second front wheel, which are drive wheels, can be prevented from being lifted up and spinning. Further, in the above configuration, the swing axis of the rear frame is disposed above the straight line passing the upper end of the first rear wheel and the upper end of the second rear wheel. This configuration can suppress shakiness of a load transferred by the handcart and also can improve traveling performance of the handcart by maintaining a minimum ground clearance of the handcart high.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chassis unit 4 according to an embodiment, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a handle unit 6 according to the embodiment,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a handle base 16 according to the embodiment, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the handle base 16 according to the embodiment, when seen from upper-rear-left side,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a right handle 18 according to the embodiment, when seen from upper-rear-left side,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a left handle 20 according to the embodiment, when seen from upper-rear-left side,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the chassis unit 4 with the right handle 18 and the left handle 20 fixed at a highest position, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 8 is a right side view of an internal structure of a switch box 40 according to the embodiment,

FIG. 9 is a right side view of the internal structure of the switch box 40 according to the embodiment, with a dead man's lever 42 pushed downward and an operation lever 72 pushed upward,

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the chassis unit 4 according to the embodiment,

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a positional relationship among the dead man's lever 42, a first link member 84, and a pipe 34 according to the embodiment, when they are seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a battery box 8 according to the embodiment, when seen from upper-rear-right side,

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the battery box 8 according to the embodiment, when seen from upper-front-left side,

FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the battery box 8 according to the embodiment,

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the battery box 8 according to the embodiment with a battery cover 106 opened, when seen from upper-rear-right side,

FIG. 16 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the battery box 8 according to the embodiment with the battery cover 106 opened,

FIG. 17 is a top view of a front wheel unit 12 according to the embodiment,

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a brake equalizer 148 according to the embodiment, when seen from upper-rear-right side,

FIG. 19 is a top view of the brake equalizer 148 according to the embodiment,

FIG. 20 is a top view of the brake equalizer 148 according to the embodiment with a brake lever 49 pushed upward,

FIG. 21 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a motor 150 and a gearbox 152 according to the embodiment,

FIG. 22 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the motor 150 and the gearbox 152 according to the embodiment with a clutch lever 210 pulled up,

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a dead man's brake 154 according to the embodiment, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a rear wheel unit 14 according to the embodiment, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 25 is a front view of the rear wheel unit 14 according to the embodiment,

FIG. 26 is a right side view of the rear wheel unit 14 according to the embodiment,

FIG. 27 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a center pin 230, a top plate 232, a bracket 234, and a lock mechanism 240 of a right caster 226 according to the embodiment,

FIG. 28 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the bracket 234, a wheel shaft 236, and a right rear wheel 238 of the right caster 226 according to the embodiment,

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of a support plate 244 of the lock mechanism 240 according to the embodiment, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the right caster 226 according to the embodiment with a lock pin 242 retained by a first retainer portion 244 b, when seen from upper-front-left side,

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the right caster 226 according to the embodiment with the lock pin 242 retained by a second retainer portion 244 c, when seen from upper-front-left side,

FIG. 32 is a top view of a right rear wheel 238 according to a variant with the right rear wheel 238 obliquely collided with a bump S,

FIG. 33 is a top view of the right rear wheel according to the variant with the right rear wheel 238 facing the bump S,

FIG. 34 is a top view of a right rear wheel 238 according to the embodiment with the right rear wheel 238 obliquely collided with a bump S,

FIG. 35 is a top view of the right rear wheel 238 according to the embodiment with the right rear wheel 238 facing the bump S,

FIG. 36 is a perspective view of a coupling site of a chassis frame 10 and the rear wheel unit 14 according to the embodiment, when seen from upper-rear-right side,

FIG. 37 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the coupling site of the chassis frame 10 and the rear wheel unit 14 according to the embodiment,

FIG. 38 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the chassis frame 10 according to the embodiment with the rear wheel unit 14 pivoted,

FIG. 39 is a perspective view of the cart 2 according to the embodiment with a first container unit 300 attached to the chassis unit 4, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 40 is a perspective view of the cart 2 according to the embodiment with the first container unit 300 attached to the chassis unit 4 and a container 302 lifted, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 41 is a perspective view of the first container unit 300 according to the embodiment with the container 302 lifted, when seen from lower-rear-left side,

FIG. 42 is a perspective view of a right guard retaining portion 328 according to the embodiment with a lower end of a support pipe 304 b being in contact with a support plate 328 c, when seen from upper-front right side,

FIG. 43 is a perspective view of the right guard retaining portion 328 according to the embodiment with a lower surface of a guard pipe 304 a being in contact with an edge of the right guard retaining portion 328, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 44 is a perspective view of the cart 2 according to the embodiment with the first container unit 300 attached to the chassis unit 4 and a right guard 304, a left guard 306, and a front guard 308 retained at a low position, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 45 is a perspective view of the cart 2 according to the embodiment with a second container unit 400 attached to the chassis unit 4, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 46 is a perspective view of the cart 2 according to the embodiment with the second container unit 400 attached to the chassis unit 4 and a movable support base 408 tilted relative to a fixed support base 412, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 47 is a perspective view of the cart 2 according to the embodiment with the second container unit 400 attached to the chassis unit 4, the movable support base 408 tilted relative to the fixed support base 412, and a bucket support base 404 tilted relative to the movable support base 408, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 48 is a perspective view of the second container unit 400 according to the embodiment with the movable support base 408 tilted relative to the fixed support base 412 and the bucket support base 404 tilted relative to the movable support base 408, When seen from upper-rear-left side,

FIG. 49 is a perspective view of the cart 2 according to the embodiment with a third container unit 500 attached to the chassis unit 4, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 50 is a perspective view of the cart 2 according to the embodiment with the third container unit 500 attached to the chassis unit 4 and a movable support base 504 tilted relative to a fixed support base 508, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 51 is a perspective view of the third container unit 500 according to the embodiment with the movable support base 504 tilted relative to the fixed support base 508, when seen from upper-rear-left side,

FIG. 52 is a perspective view of the cart 2 according to the embodiment with a fourth container unit 600 attached to the chassis unit 4, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 53 is a perspective view of the fourth container unit 600 according to the embodiment, when seen from lower-rear-right side,

FIG. 54 is a perspective view of the cart 2 according to the embodiment with a fifth container unit 700 attached to the chassis unit 4, when seen from upper-front-right side,

FIG. 55 is a perspective view of the fifth container unit 700 according to the embodiment, when seen from lower-rear-left side,

FIG. 56 is a top view of a brake equalizer 148 according to a variant,

FIG. 57 is a top view of a brake equalizer 148 according to another variant,

FIG. 58 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a motor 150 and a gearbox 152 according to a variant,

FIG. 59 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the motor 150 and the gearbox 152 according to the variant with an inner cable 90 a of a dead man's cable 90 pushed out relative to an outer cable 90 b,

FIG. 60 is a top view of a right rear wheel 238 according to the variant with the right rear wheel 238 pivoted such that a side surface thereof contacts a bump S,

FIG. 61 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a bracket 234, a wheel shaft 236, and a right rear wheel 238 of a right caster 226 according to a variant,

FIG. 62 is a perspective view showing a positional relationship among a dead man's lever 42, a first link member 84, and a second link member 86 according to a variant, when they are seen from upper-rear-left side,

FIG. 63 is a right side view of an internal structure of a switch box 40 according to the variant, and

FIG. 64 is a left side view of the internal structure of the switch box 40 according to the variant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Representative, non-limiting examples of the present disclosure will now be described in further detail with reference to the attached drawings. This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skill in the art further details for practicing aspects of the present teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each of the additional features and teachings disclosed below may be utilized separately or in conjunction with other features and teachings to provide improved handcarts, as well as methods for using and manufacturing the same.

Moreover, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the following detailed description may not be necessary to practice the present disclosure in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely to particularly describe representative examples of the present disclosure. Furthermore, various features of the above-described and below-described representative examples, as well as the various independent and dependent claims, may be combined in ways that are not specifically and explicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings.

All features disclosed in the description and/or the claims are intended to be disclosed separately and independently from each other for the purpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter, independent of the compositions of the features in the embodiments and/or the claims. In addition, all value ranges or indications of groups of entities are intended to disclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate entity for the purpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter.

In one or more embodiments, a handcart may comprise a frame; a drive wheel rotatably supported by the frame about a rotation axis extending in a right-left direction; a prime mover configured to rotate the drive wheel; a bracket pivotably supported by the frame about a pivot axis extending in an up-down direction; and a non-drive wheel rotatably supported by the bracket about a rotation axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. The non-drive wheel may include a first non-drive wheel and a second non-drive wheel. The first non-drive wheel and the second non-drive wheel may be configured to be rotatable independent of each other.

When the non-drive wheel obliquely collides with a bump and the first non-drive wheel, for example, makes contact with the hump, the above configuration allows the second non-drive wheel, which is not in contact with the bump, to rotate relative to the first non-drive wheel, thus the traveling, direction of the non-drive wheel can thereby be easily changed to become perpendicular to the bump. Even when the non-drive wheel obliquely collides with a hump, the above configuration enables the non-drive wheel to easily cross over the bump.

In one or more embodiments, in a top plan view of the handcart, the rotation axis of the non-drive wheel may be offset from the pivot axis of the bracket.

This configuration facilitates pivot of the bracket relative to the frame, as compared to a configuration in which the rotation axis of the non-drive wheel is disposed near the pivot axis of the bracket in the top plan view of the handcart.

In one or more embodiments, the handcart may further comprise a lock mechanism configured to lock pivot of the bracket with respect to the frame.

In this configuration, the pivot of the bracket with respect to the frame can be locked by the lock mechanism when it is not desired. User's convenience can be improved.

In one or more embodiments, the bracket may include a first arm and a second arm. The first non-drive wheel and the second non-drive wheel may be disposed adjacent to each other between the first arm and the second arm.

This configuration enables the first non-drive wheel and the second non-drive wheel to turn in a small radius, as compared to a configuration in which the first non-drive wheel and the second non-drive wheel are disposed far apart from each other.

In one or more embodiments, the prime mover may include a motor.

This configuration can suppress vibrations transmitted to a load on the handcart, as compared to a configuration in which an engine is used as the prime mover.

In one or more embodiments, the handcart may further comprise a battery mounting portion to which a battery is detachably attached. The motor may be driven by electric power from the battery.

This configuration enables the motor to be supplied with the electric power, without connecting the handcart with an external power supply via a power cord.

In one or more embodiments, the frame may include a chassis frame and a rear wheel. frame swingably supported by the chassis frame about a swing axis extending in a front-rear direction, wherein the rear wheel frame extends in a direction perpendicular to the swing axis. The drive wheel may be supported by the chassis frame. The bracket may be supported by the rear wheel frame. The handcart may further comprise a second drive wheel rotatably supported by the chassis frame about a rotation axis extending in the right-left direction and configured to be rotated by the prime mover; a second bracket pivotably supported by the rear wheel frame about a pivot axis extending in the up-down direction; and a third non-drive wheel and a fourth non-drive wheel rotatably supported by the second bracket about a rotation axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and configured to be rotatable independent of each other. The drive wheel and the second drive wheel may be disposed forward of the first non-drive wheel, the second non-drive wheel, the third non-drive wheel, and the fourth non-drive wheel. In a rear plan view of the handcart, the swing axis may be disposed above a straight line that passes (a) at least one of an upper end of the first non-drive wheel and an upper end of the second non-drive wheel and (b) at least one of an upper end of the third non-drive wheel and an upper end of the fourth non-drive wheel.

In this configuration, the rear wheel frame, which supports the first to fourth non-drive wheels, pivots with respect to the chassis frame about the swing axis extending in the front-rear direction. Thus, even when the handcart travels on an uneven surface, the configuration can keep the drive wheel, the second drive wheel, and the first to fourth non-drive wheels in contact with the surface to follow the surface unevenness. The drive wheel and the second drive wheel can be prevented from being lifted up and spinning. Further, in the above configuration, the swing axis of the rear wheel frame is disposed above the straight line that passes (a) at least one of the upper end of the first non-drive wheel and the upper end of the second non-drive wheel and (b) at least one of the upper end of the third non-drive Wheel and the upper end of the fourth non-drive wheel. This configuration can suppress shakiness of a load transferred by the handcart and also can improve traveling performance of the handcart by maintaining a minimum ground clearance of the handcart high.

In one or more embodiments, the handcart may further comprise a differential mechanism configured to distribute power from the prime mover to the drive wheel and the second drive wheel.

In the configuration with the differential mechanism, if one of the drive wheel and the second drive wheel is lifted up from the traveling surface and spins, the power is barely transmitted to the other of the drive wheel and the second drive wheel, which dramatically deteriorates the traveling performance of the handcart. The above-described configuration can prevent the drive wheel and the second drive wheel from spinning, thus it can suppress the deterioration of the traveling performance of the handcart.

In one or more embodiments, when the rear wheel frame swings with respect to the chassis frame, an upper surface of the rear wheel frame may contact a lower surface of the chassis frame such that a swing range of the rear wheel frame with respect to the chassis frame is restricted.

This configuration enables the chassis frame to function as a stopper that restricts the swing range of the rear wheel frame.

In one or more embodiments, a handcart may comprise a prime mover; a chassis frame; a front wheel unit supported by the chassis frame; and a rear wheel unit swingably supported by the chassis frame about a swing axis extending in a front-rear direction. The front wheel unit may include a first front wheel and a second front wheel configured to be driven by the prime mover. The rear wheel unit may include a rear wheel frame extending in a direction perpendicular to the swing axis and a first rear wheel and a second rear wheel supported by the rear wheel frame. In a rear plan view of the handcart, the swing axis may be disposed above a straight line that passes an upper end of the first rear wheel and an upper end of the second rear wheel.

In this configuration, the rear wheel frame, which supports the first and second rear wheels, swings with respect to the chassis frame about the swing axis extending in the front-rear direction. Thus, when the handcart travels on an uneven surface, the configuration can keep the first front wheel, the second front wheel, the first rear wheel, and the second rear wheel in contact with the surface to follow the surface unevenness. The first front wheel and the second front wheel, which are drive wheels, can be prevented from being lifted up and spinning. Further, in the above configuration, the swing axis of the rear wheel frame is disposed above the straight line passing the upper end of the first rear wheel and the upper end of the second rear wheel. This configuration can suppress shakiness of a load transferred by the handcart and also can improve the traveling performance of the handcart by maintaining a minimum ground clearance of the handcart high.

In one or more embodiments, the first rear wheel and the second rear wheel may be non-drive wheels.

If at least one of the first front wheel and the second front wheel, which are drive wheels, spins in a configuration in which the first rear wheel and the second rear wheel are non-drive wheels, the traveling performance of the handcart is thereby deteriorated. The above-described configuration can prevent the first front wheel and the second front wheel from spinning, thus it can suppress the deterioration of the traveling performance of the handcart.

In one or more embodiments, the front wheel unit may further include a differential mechanism configured to distribute power from the prime mover to the first front wheel and the second front wheel.

In the configuration with the differential mechanism, if one of the first front wheel and the second front wheel is lifted up from the traveling surface and spinning, the power is barely transmitted to the other of the first front wheel and the second front wheel, which deteriorates the traveling performance of the handcart. The above-described configuration can prevent the first front wheel and the second front wheel from spinning, thus it can suppress the deterioration of the traveling performance of the handcart.

In one or more embodiments, when the rear wheel frame swings with respect to the chassis frame, an upper surface of the rear wheel frame may contact a lower surface of the chassis frame such that a swing range of the rear wheel frame with respect to the chassis frame is restricted.

This configuration enables the chassis frame to function as a stopper that restricts the swing range of the rear wheel frame.

In one or more embodiments, the prime mover may include a motor.

This configuration can suppress vibrations transmitted to a load on the handcart, as compared to a configuration in which an engine is used as the prime mover.

In one or more embodiments, the handcart may further comprise a battery mounting portion to which a battery is detachably attached. The motor may be driven by electric power from the battery.

This configuration enables the motor to be supplied with the electric power, without connecting the handcart with an external power supply via a power cord.

Embodiments

A cart 2 of the present embodiment is a hand cart. The cart 2 is configured by a chassis unit 4 shown in FIG. 1 being removably attached to one of a first container unit 300 shown in FIG. 39, a second container unit 400 shown in FIG. 45, a third container unit 500 shown in FIG. 49, a fourth container unit 600 shown in FIG. 52, and a fifth container unit 700 shown in FIG. 54. In another embodiment, the cart 2 may be configured by the chassis unit 4 being unremovably attached to one of the first container unit 300, the second container unit 400 the third container unit 500, the fourth container unit 600, and the fifth container unit 700. In the following description, one of the container units, among the first container unit 300, the second container unit 400, the third container unit 500, the fourth container unit 600, and the fifth container unit 700, that is attached to the chassis unit 4 may be simply referred to as a container unit 800.

Chassis Unit 4

As shown in FIG. 1, the chassis unit 4 includes a handle unit 6, a battery box 8, a chassis frame 10, a front wheel unit 12, and a rear wheel unit 14.

Handle Unit 6

As shown in FIG. 2, the handle unit 6 includes a handle base 16, a right handle 18, and a left handle 20. The handle base 16 includes a base pipe 21, a right channel 22, a left channel 24, a rectangular pipe 26, a base plate 28, a right attachment 30, and a left attachment 32. All of the base pipe 21, the right channel 22, the left channel 24, the rectangular pipe 26, the base plate 28, the right attachment 30, and the left attachment 32 are constituted of a steel material. A cross-sectional shape of the base pipe 21 is substantially circular. The base pipe 21 includes a central portion 21 a extending in a right-left direction, a right support portion 21 b bent downward from a right end of the central portion 21 a, and a left support portion 21 c bent downward from a left end of the central portion 21 a. The right channel 22 includes a web 22 a extending along a front-rear direction and an up-down direction, a front flange 22 b bent leftward from a front end of the web 22 a, and a rear flange 22 c bent leftward from a rear end of the web 22 a. The right support, portion 21 b of the base pipe 21 is welded to an upper portion of the right channel 22 on the left side thereof. The left channel 24 includes a web 24 a extending along the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, a front flange 24 b bent rightward from a front end of the web 24 a, and a rear flange 24 c bent rightward from a rear end of the web 24 a. The left support portion 21 c of the base pipe 21 is welded to an upper portion of the left channel 24 on the right side thereof. The rectangular pipe 26 extends in the right-left direction. A right end of the rectangular pipe 26 is welded to the vicinity of a center of the right channel 22 in the up-down direction on the left side thereof. A left end of the rectangular pipe 26 is welded to the vicinity of a center of the left channel 24 in the up-down direction on the right side thereof. The base plate 28 includes a wall 28 a extending along the up-down direction and the right-left direction, and a floor 28 b bent rearward from a lower end of the wall 28 a. An upper end of the wall 28 a is welded to a lower surface of the central portion 21 a of the base pipe 21. A lower surface of the floor 28 b is welded to an upper surface of the rectangular pipe 26. The right attachment 30 is welded to a lower end of the right channel 22. The left attachment 32 is welded to a lower end of the left channel 24. As shown in FIG. 1, the handle base 16 is fixed to the chassis frame 10 by the right attachment 30 being screwed to a frame plate 130 of the chassis frame 10 and the left attachment 32 being screwed to the frame plate 130 of the chassis frame 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the right handle 18 includes a pipe 34, a channel 36, a grip 38, a switch box 40, and a dead man's lever 42. The pipe 34 and the channel 36 are both constituted of a steel material. The pipe 34 includes a support portion 34 a extending in the up-down direction, and a handle portion 34 b bent rearward from an upper end of the support portion 34 a, The channel 36 includes a web 36 a extending along the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, a front flange 36 b bent rightward from a front end of the web 36 a, and a rear flange 36 c bent rightward from a rear end of the web 36 a. The pipe 34 is welded to the channel 36 on the right side of the channel 36. The grip 38, the switch box 40 and the dead man's lever 42 are attached to the handle portion 34 b of the pipe 34.

The left handle 20 includes a pipe 44, a channel 46, a grip 48, and a brake lever 49. The pipe 44 and the channel 46 are both constituted of a steel material. The pipe 44 includes a support portion 44 a extending in the up-down direction, and a handle portion 44 b bent rearward from an upper end of the support portion 44 a. The channel 46 includes a web 46 a extending along the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, a front flange 46 b bent leftward from a front end of the web 46 a, and a rear flange 46 c bent leftward from a rear end of the web 46 a. The pipe 44 is welded to the channel 46 on the left side of the channel 46. The grip 48 and the brake lever 49 are attached to the handle portion 44 b of the pipe 44.

The right handle 18 is fixed to the handle base 16 via grip bolts 50 and 52. The left handle 20 is fixed to the handle base 16 via grip bolts 54 and 56. The grip bolts 50, 52, 54, and 56 respectively include heads 50 a, 52 a, 54 a, and 56 a, and shafts 50 b, 52 b, 54 b, and 56 b. As shown in FIG. 3, through holes 22 d and 22 e are formed in the web 22 a of the right channel 22 of the handle base 16 such that the holes are arranged along the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 4, nuts 58 and 60 are welded on a left surface of the web 22 a of the right channel 22 at positions corresponding to the through holes 22 d and 22 e. Similarly, through holes 24 d and 24 e are formed in the web 24 a of the left channel 24 of the handle base 16 such that the through holes are arranged along the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 3, nuts 62 and 64 are welded on a right surface of the web 24 a of the left channel 24 at positions corresponding to the through holes 24 d and 24 e. As shown in FIG. 5, an elongated hole 36 d extending in the up-down direction is formed in the web 36 a of the channel 36 of the right handle 18. As shown in FIG. 6, an elongated hole 46 d extending in the up-down direction is formed in the web 46 a of the channel 46 of the left handle 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, to fix the right handle 18 to the handle base 16, the shaft 50 b of the grip bolt 50 is inserted through the elongated hole 36 d of the right handle 18 and the through hole 22 d of the handle base 16 and then is screwed into the nut 58, and the shaft 52 b of the grip bolt 52 is also inserted through the elongated hole 36 d of the right handle 18 and the through hole 22 e of the handle base 16 and then is screwed into the nut 60. As a result, the channel 36 of the right handle 18 and the right channel 22 of the handle base 16 are held between the nuts 58, 60 and the heads 50 a, 52 a of the grip bolts 50, 52, with a left surface of the web 36 a of the channel 36 of the right handle 18 being in contact with a right surface of the web 22 a of the right channel 22 of the handle base 16. The right handle 18 is fixed to the handle base 16 as above. In the following description, the grip bolts 50, 52 and the nuts 58, 60 may be collectively referred to as a right holder mechanism 51. Further, the grip bolt 52 and the nut 60 may be referred to as a right rotation restricting mechanism 53. The right rotation restricting mechanism 53 is configured to restrict rotation of the right handle 18 relative to the handle base 16 about the grip bolt 50 as a rotation axis.

Similarly, to fix the left handle 20 to the handle base 16, the shaft 54 b of the grip bolt 54 is inserted through the elongated hole 46 d of the left handle 20 and the through hole 24 d of the handle base 16 and then is screwed into the nut 62, and the shaft 56 b of the grip bolt 56 is also inserted through the elongated hole 46 d of the left handle 20 and the through hole 24 e of the handle base 16 and then is screwed into the nut 64. As a result, the channel 46 of the left handle 20 and the left channel 24 of the handle base 16 are held between the nuts 62, 64 and the heads 54 a, 56 a of the grip bolts 54 and 56, with a right surface of the web 46 a of the channel 46 of the left handle 20 being in contact with a left surface of the web 24 a of the left channel 24 of the handle base 16. The left handle 20 is fixed to the handle base 16 as above. In the following description, the grip bolts 54, 56 and the nuts 62, 64 may be collectively referred to as a left holder mechanism 55. Further, the grip bolt 56 and the nut 64 may be referred to as a left rotation restricting mechanism 57. The left rotation restricting mechanism 57 is configured to restrict rotation of the left handle 20 relative to the handle base 16 about the grip bolt 54 as a rotation axis.

The right handle 18 is configured to be movable in the up-down direction relative to the handle base 16, with the grip bolts 50 and 52 loosened. Setting the right handle 18 to a desired position in the up-down direction relative to the handle base 16 and then tightening the grip bolts 50, 52 enables the right handle 18 to be fixed at the desired position relative to the handle base 16. Similarly, the left handle 20 is configured to be movable relative to the handle base 16, with the grip bolts 54, 56 loosened. Setting the left handle 20 to a desired position in the up-down direction relative to the handle base 16 and then tightening the grip bolts 54, 56 enables the left handle 20 to be fixed at the desired position relative to the handle base 16. If the right handle 18 is integrated with the left handle 20 and a position of the integrated handle is adjusted in the up-down direction relative to the handle base 16, a large amount of labor is required for the positional adjustment in the up-down direction relative to the handle base 16 because the weight of the integration of the right handle 18 and the left handle 20 is large. Contrary to this, in the cart 2 of the present embodiment, the right handle 18 and the left handle 20 are separate components, and their positions in the up-down direction relative to the handle base 16 can be adjusted individually. This arrangement can reduce an amount of labor required for the positional adjustment in the up-down direction relative to the handle base 16 because the individual weights of the right handle 18 and the left handle 20 are not so large.

As shown in FIG. 3, an elastic engagement piece 22 f that protrudes rightward is disposed on the web 22 a of the right channel 22 of the handle base 16. As shown in FIG. 4, an elastic engagement piece 24 f that protrudes leftward is disposed on the web 24 a of the left channel 24 of the handle base 16. A position of the elastic engagement piece 22 f of the right channel 22 and a position of the elastic engagement piece 24 f of the left channel 24 are substantially the same in the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of engagement holes 36 e is formed in the web 36 a of the channel 36 of the right handle 18, corresponding to the elastic engagement piece 22 f of the right channel 22. The engagement holes 36 e are arranged. at predetermined intervals along the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of engagement holes 46 e is formed in the web 46 a of the channel 46 of the left handle 20, corresponding to the elastic engagement piece 24 f of the left channel 24. The engagement holes 46 e are arranged at predetermined intervals along the up-down direction. Positions of the engagement holes 36 e of the right handle 18 and positions of the corresponding engagement holes 46 e of the left handle 20 are substantially the same in the up-down direction. The right handle 18 can be fixed to the handle base 16, with the elastic engagement piece 22 f inserted in one of the engagement holes 36 e. Similarly, the left handle 20 can be fixed to the handle base 16, with the elastic engagement piece 24 f inserted in one of the engagement holes 46 e. Inserting the elastic engagement piece 22 f to one of the engagement holes 36 e and inserting the elastic engagement piece 24 f to the corresponding one of the engagement holes 46 e enables the right handle 18 and the left handle 20 to be fixed to the handle base 16 at the substantially same position in the up-down direction. For example, both the right handle 18 and the left handle 20 can be fixed at a lowest position relative to the handle base 16 as shown in FIG. 1 by fixing the right handle 18 to the handle base 16 with the elastic engagement piece 22 f inserted in the uppermost one of the engagement holes 36 e and fixing the left handle 20 to the handle base 16 with the elastic engagement piece 24 f inserted in the uppermost one of the engagement holes 46 e. Alternatively, both the right handle 18 and the left, handle 20 can be fixed at a highest position relative to the handle base 16 as shown in FIG. 7 by fixing the right handle 18 to the handle base 16 with the elastic engagement piece 22 f inserted in the lowermost one of the engagement holes 36 e and fixing the left handle 20 to the handle base 16 with the elastic engagement piece 24 f inserted in the lowermost one of the engagement holes 46 e. Hereinafter, the elastic engagement piece 22 f and the plurality of engagement holes 36 e may be collectively referred to as a right positioning mechanism 23, and the elastic engagement piece 24 f and the plurality of engagement holes 46 e may be collectively referred to as a left positioning mechanism 25.

The right handle 18 can also be fixed to the handle base 16 by tightening the grip bolts 50 and 52 with the elastic engagement piece 22 f not inserted in any of the engagement holes 36 e. In this case, the elastic engagement piece 22 f is pressed by the web 36 a of the channel 36 and is maintained in a leftward elastically deformed state. Similarly, the left handle 20 can also be fixed to the handle base 16 by tightening the grip bolts 54 and 56 with the elastic engagement piece 24 f not inserted in any of the engagement holes 46 e. In this case, the elastic engagement piece 24 f is pressed by the web 46 a of the channel 46 and is maintained in a rightward elastically deformed state.

In another embodiment, the handle portion 34 b of the right handle 18 may be bent rightward or leftward from the upper end of the support portion 34 a, and the handle portion 44 b of the left handle 20 may be bent rightward or leftward from the upper end of the support portion 44 a. In yet another embodiment, the right handle 18 and the left handle 20 may be integrated, such as a U-shaped handle.

Right Handle 18

As shown in FIG. 5, in the right handle 18, the switch box 40 is disposed frontward of the grip 38. Further, the dead man's lever 42 is disposed above the grip 38.

The switch box 40 includes a casing 66, an operation panel 68, an alarm sound button 70, an operation lever 72, and a taillight 74. The casing 66 is a resin member, The operation panel 68 is disposed on an upper surface of the casing 66. The operation panel 68 includes a main power button 68 a, a main power indicator lamp 68 b, a forward/backward mode switching button 68 c, a forward mode indicator lamp 68 d, a backward mode indicator lamp 68 e, a speed switching button 68 f, and a speed indicator 68 g. The main power button 68 a is a button for the user to switch on and off of a main power of the cart 2. The main power indicator lamp 68 b turns on when the main power of the cart 2 is turned on, and turns off when the main power of the cart 2 is turned off, The forward/backward mode switching button 68 c is a button for the user to switch a forward mode and a backward mode of the cart 2. In the forward mode, the cart 2 actuates a motor 150 (which will be described later, see FIG. 1) to rotate a right front wheel 140 and a left front wheel 142 (which will be described later, see FIG. 1) in a forward direction, while in the backward mode, the cart 2 actuates the motor 150 to rotate the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 in the reverse direction. The forward mode indicator lamp 68 d turns on when the cart 2 operates in the forward mode, and turns off when the cart 2 operates in the backward mode. The backward mode indicator lamp 68 e turns on when the cart 2 operates in the backward mode, and turns off when the cart 2 operates in the forward mode. The speed switching button 68 f is a button for the user to switch a traveling speed of the cart 2. In the cart 2 of the present embodiment, the traveling speed can be switched in multiple levels (e.g., in three levels). The cart 2 controls a rotational speed of the motor 150 when actuating the motor 150 in accordance with the traveling speed set by the speed switching button 68 f. The speed indicator 68 g changes the number of lit windows according to the traveling speed of the cart 2 set by the speed switching button 68 f. As shown in FIG. 8, an operation board 76 is disposed inside the casing and below the operation panel 68. The operation board 76 includes switches (not shown) configured to detect user's operations on the main power button 68 a, the forward/backward mode switching button 68 c, and the speed switching button 68 f, LEDs (not shown) configured to turn on/turn off the main power indicator lamp 68 b, the forward mode indicator lamp 68 d, the backward mode indicator lamp 68 e, and the speed indicator 68 g, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 5, the alarm sound button 70 is disposed on a side surface of the casing 66 and leftward of the operation panel 68. The alarm sound button 70 is a button for the user to activate a buzzer 124 (which will be described later, see FIG. 13). When the user operates the alarm sound button 70, the cart 2 activates the buzzer 124 to cause it to emit an alarming sound. If the cart 2 includes a speaker (not shown) other than the buzzer 124, the cart 2 may be configured to output a predetermined music or sound from the speaker in response to the user's operation on the alai m sound button 70.

The operation lever 72 is a resin member. As shown in FIG. 8, the operation lever 72 includes a support portion 72 a, an operation piece 72 b, and a detection piece 72 c. The support portion 72 a, the operation piece 72 b, and the detection piece 72 c are integrated with each other. The support portion 72 a and the detection piece 72 c are housed in the casing 66. The operation. piece 72 b protrudes from the inside of the casing 66 to the outside thereof through an opening 66 a formed in a rear surface of the casing 66. The support portion 72 a is pivotably supported with respect to the casing 66 around a pivot axis 72 d extending in the right-left direction. An actuation switch 78 is housed in the casing 66 near the detection piece 72 c. When the operation piece 72 b is pushed upward by the user, the operation piece 72 b, the support portion 72 a, and the detection piece 72 c are thereby integrally pivoted about the pivot axis 72 d, and the actuation switch 78 is pressed by the detection piece 72 c as shown in FIG. 9. The casing 66 also houses a compression spring (not shown) configured to apply a torque in a direction along which the operation piece 72 b moves downward to the operation lever 72. When the user releases the hand from the operation piece 72 b, the operation piece 72 b, the support portion 72 a, and the detection piece 72 c are integrally pivoted about the pivot axis 72 d by the biasing force of the compression spring, and the detection piece 72 c is separated from the actuation switch 78 as shown in FIG. 8. Around the operation piece 72 b, the opening 66 a of the casing 66 is covered by a bellows cover 80. The bellows cover 80 prevents foreign matter from entering the inside of the casing 66 from the outside thereof through the opening 66 a.

The operation panel 68 is located on the upper surface of the casing 66, The alarm sound button 70 is located on a side surface of the casing 66. Further, the operation lever 72 is located rearward of the casing 66. This arrangement enables the user to operate the operation panel 68, the alarm sound button 70, and the operation lever 72 by his/her fingers of the right hand while gripping the grip 38 with the right hand.

The taillight 74 is disposed on a rear surface of the casing 66 and below the operation lever 72. The taillight 74 is turned on when a right headlight 156 and a left headlight 158 (which will be described later) are turned on, and is turned off when these lights are turned off. The taillight 74 is configured to emit light toward an area behind the cart 2 and serves as a visibly noticeable portion that can be clearly seen. As shown in FIG. 8, a taillight board 82 is disposed in the casing 66 and frontward of the taillight 74. The taillight board 82 includes an LED (not shown) configured to turn on/off the taillight 74 and the like. The taillight 74 may be turned on/off by a surface-emitting LED, for example. For example, when the cart 2 collides with an object located behind while traveling backward, the grip 38 collides with the object before the object reaches the taillight 74 because the taillight 74 is located frontward of the grip 38, thus the taillight 74 can be prevented from colliding with an object and getting damaged.

From a safety perspective for workers at night, the taillight 74 is desirable to be bright enough such that the lighting of the taillight 74 can be visually recognized at night from a point that is a distance of 100 m rearward apart from the taillight 74. Further, the color of light emitted by the taillight 74 is desirably a color including red, specifically, orange, red, or the like. For example, if an LED is used, the lamp brightness that can be visually recognized at night from a point the distance of 100 m rearward apart may satisfy the standard for bike taillights specified in JISC9502 (in particular, the standard for brightness and/or color of beam of taillights).

The cart 2 may be configured to turn on the taillight 74 in conjunction with the activation of the cart 2. The cart 2 may maintain the light of the taillight 74 constantly, and/or may cause it to blink. For example, the cart 2 may be configured to maintain the light of the taillight 74 constantly during normal operation and cause it to blink when an acceleration sensor (not shown) or the like detects deceleration of the cart 2. Alternatively, the cart 2 may be configured to cause the light of the taillight 74 to blink during normal operation and maintain it constantly when an optical sensor (not shown) or the like detects that the environment gets dark. Further, the actuation of the motor 150 may be detected by a vibration sensor (not shown) or the like, and the cart 2 may be configured to maintain the light of the taillight 74 constantly when the environment gets dark and the motor 150 is actuated. Alternatively, the cart 2 may be configured to continue power supply to the taillight 74 while stopping power supply to the motor 150 and/or the container unit 800, when a remaining charge of battery packs 112 (which will be described later, see FIG. 14) is small.

The cart 2 may include a reflector (not shown) on the rear surface of the casing 66, instead of the taillight 74. The reflector emit light toward an area behind the cart 2 by receiving light and reflecting it, and serves as a visibly noticeable portion that can be clearly seen. The reflector may comprise a retroreflective material. When irradiated with light from a car headlight or the like at night, the reflector desirably provides reflected light that can be visually recognized from 100 m behind. The color of the light reflected by the reflector is desirably a color including red, specifically, an orange, red, or the like. Alternatively, a combination of the taillight 74 and the reflector may be used to further improve the visibility from behind. In this case, the taillight 74 may be integrated with the reflector.

As shown in FIG. 10, in a rear plan view of the chassis unit 4, a distance D from a center of the chassis unit 4 in the right-left direction to a center of the taillight 74 in the right-left direction is 150 mm or more, preferably 200 mm or more, and is, for example, about 250 mm. For example, when the distance D is 150 mm or more, a distance between the right handle 18 and the left handle 20 is 300 mm or more, which is larger than a waist width of a standard adult. When the distance D is 200 mm or more, the distance between the right handle 18 and the left handle 20 is 400 mm or more, which is larger than a shoulder width of the standard adult. The distance D is selectable with the aforementioned standard waist width and shoulder width as its reference, considering the posture of a worker based on the shapes of the right handle 18 and the left handle 20. With this configuration, even when the user is standing behind the cart 2 while gripping the right handle 18 and the left handle 29, the taillight 74 is not blocked by the user's body and the taillight 74 can be visually recognized from behind the user. The center of the chassis unit 4 in the right-left direction may be any position corresponding to a center of the user's body in the right-left direction when the user is standing behind the cart 2 while gripping the right handle 18 and the left handle 20. For example, the center of the chassis unit 4 in the right-left direction may be: a middle position between a center of a right front wheel 140 in the right-left direction and a center of a left front wheel 142 in the right-left direction; a middle position between a center of a right rear wheel 238 in the right-left direction and a center of a left rear wheel 258 in the right-left direction; a center position of the handle unit 6 in the right-left direction; or a middle position between a center of the grip 38 of the right handle 18 in the right-left direction and a center of the grip 48 of the left handle 20 in the right-left direction. The taillight 74 may be disposed at any position on the chassis unit 4 other than the switch box 40, as long as the position is visually recognizable from behind the user when the user is standing behind the cart 2 while gripping the right handle 18 and the left handle 20. For example, the taillight 74 may be disposed at the right channel 22 or the left channel 24 of the handle base 16. Alternatively, the taillight 74 may be disposed at the channel 36 of the right handle 18 or on a rear end surface of the grip 38. Alternatively, the taillight 74 may be disposed at the channel 46 of the left handle 20 or on a rear end surface of the grip 48. Alternatively, the taillight 74 may be disposed near the right rear wheel 238 or near the left rear wheel 258 in a rear wheel frame 225 of the rear wheel unit 14 (which will be described later). Even if the taillight 74 is disposed at any of these positions, the light of the taillight 74 is desirably visually recognizable at night from 100 m behind.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the casing 66 further houses a first link member 84, a second link member 86, and a dead man's switch 88. The first link member 84 is slidably supported by the casing 66 such that it can slide in a predetermined sliding direction (see arrows in FIGS. 8 and 9). As shown in FIG. 11, the first link member 84 includes a support beam 84 a that extends substantially linearly from its upper end to lower end, an auxiliary beam 84 b that extends rightward from an intermediate part of the support beam 84 a and then bends upward, and a pin 84 c that extends rightward from a lower end of the support beam 84 a. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the support beam 84 a is located leftward of the operation lever 72 and extends from an upper portion to a lower portion inside the casing 66. The auxiliary beam 84 b has a shape that does not interfere with the grip 38 and the operation lever 72 which are respectively located in an upper area and in a lower area within a movable range of the first link member 84. The second link member 86 is pivotably supported by the casing 66 such that it can pivot about a pivot axis 86 a extending in the right-left direction. An elongated hole 86 b is formed at a rear end of the second link member 86. The pin 84 c of the first link member 84 is in the elongated hole 86 b of the second link member 86. When the first link member 84 slides in the sliding direction, the pin 84 c presses a side wall of the elongated hole 86 b while sliding along the side wall of the elongated hole 86 b, which pivots the second link member 86 around the pivot axis 86 a. The dead man's switch 88 is located to face a projection 86 c disposed on the second link member 86. When the second link member 86 is pivoted such that the rear end of the second link member 86 is moved upward, the projection 86 c presses the dead man's switch 88, whereas when the second link member 86 is pivoted such that the rear end of the second link member 86 is moved downward, the projection 86 c is separated from the dead man's switch 88. The second link member 86 is biased in a pivoting direction along which the rear end is moved upward by a torsion spring (not shown). A cable holder 86 d is disposed at a front end of the second link member 86. A dead man's cable 90 is inserted to a front lower portion of the casing 66. The dead man's cable 90 includes an inner cable 90 a and an outer cable 90 b covering the periphery of the inner cable 90 a. The outer cable 90 b is supported by the casing 66. The inner cable 90 a is supported by the cable holder 86 d.

As shown in FIG. 5, the dead man's lever 42 has a shape that extends along an upper surface of the grip 38. The dead man's lever 42 is a resin member. A rear end of the dead man's lever 42 is pivotably supported at a rear end of the grip 38 via a pivot axis 42 a extending in the right-left direction. A front end of the dead man's lever 42 is slidably supported on an upper end of the first link member 84.

When the user grips the grip 38, the dead man's lever 42 is pushed downward by the user's palm. This moves the first link member 84 downward along the sliding direction and pivots the second link member 86 in a pivoting direction such that the rear end thereof is moved downward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the inner cable 90 a of the dead man's cable 90 is relatively pulled out from the outer cable 90 b. Further, the projection 86 c of the second link member 86 is separated from the dead man's switch 88. When the user releases his/her hand from the grip 38 in this state, the biasing force of the torsion spring causes the second link member 86 to pivot such that the rear end is moved upward and the first link member 84 is thereby moved upward along the sliding direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the inner cable 90 a of the dead man's cable 90 is relatively pushed into the outer cable 90 b. Further, the projection 86 c of the second link member 86 presses the dead man's switch 88. Furthermore, the front end of the dead man's lever 42 is pushed upward.

The first link member 84 and the second link member 86 may be configured as shown in FIG. 62. In the configuration shown in FIG. 62, the pin 84 c of the first link member 84 extends leftward from the lower end of the support beam 84 a. Further, the first link member 84 includes a roller 84 d that is rotatably supported by the pin 84 c and a block 84 e that protrudes rightward from the lower end of the support beam 84 a. In the configuration shown in FIG. 62, the elongated hole 86 b and the projection 86 c are not disposed on the second link member 86. In the vicinity of the rear end of the second link member 86, the roller 84 d of the first link member 84 is in contact with an upper surface of the second link member 86.

In a configuration using the first link member 84 and the second link member 86 shown in FIG. 62, the internal space of the casing 66 is partitioned by an inner wall 66 b into a left space and a right space as shown in FIGS. 63 and 64. An elongated hole 66 c is formed in the inner wall 66 b. A longitudinal direction of the elongated hole 66 c is along the sliding direction of the first link member 84. As shown in FIG. 63, the support beam 84 a and the block 84 e of the first link member 84 and the dead man's switch 88 are disposed in the right space which is located on the right side relative to the inner wall 66 b. The pin 84 c of the first link member 84 passes through the elongated hole 66 c. As shown in FIG. 64, the roller 84 d of the first link member 84, the second link member 86, and the dead man's cable 90 are disposed in the left space located on the left side relative to the inner wall 66 b.

In the configuration shown in FIGS. 62 to 64, when the dead man's lever 42 is pushed downward by the user, the first link member 84 is moved downward along the sliding direction and the roller 84 d presses the upper surface of the second link member 86 near the rear end thereof while rolling thereon. This pivots the second link member 86 about the pivot axis 86 a and moves the front end of the second link member 86 upward, as a result of which the inner cable 90 a of the dead man's cable 90 is relatively pulled out from the outer cable 90 b. Further, when the first link member 84 is moved downward along the sliding direction, the block 84 e of the first link member 84 presses the dead man's switch 88. When the user releases his/her hand from the dead man's lever 42 in this state, the biasing force of the torsion spring (not shown) causes the second link member 86 to pivot in the pivoting direction such that its front end is moved downward and its rear end is moved upward. As a result, the inner cable 90 a of the dead man's cable 90 is relatively pushed into the outer cable 90 b. Further, when the roller 84 d is pushed upward by the upper surface of the second link member 86, the first link member 84 is moved upward along the sliding direction and the block 84 e of the first link member 84 is separated from the dead man's switch 88. Furthermore, the front end of the dead man's lever 42 is pushed upward.

A signal cable 92 is inserted into the front lower portion of the casing 66. Wires extending from the operation board 76, the alarm sound button 70, the actuation switch 78, the taillight board 82, and the dead man's switch 88 in the casing 66 are drawn out of the casing 66 through the signal cable 92.

Left Handle 20

As shown in FIG. 6, in the left handle 20, a brake cable 94 is connected to the brake lever 49. The brake cable 94 includes an inner cable 94 a and an outer cable 94 b covering the periphery of the inner cable 94 a. The brake lever 49 is pushed downward by a biasing force of a torsion spring (not shown). When the user pushes the brake lever 49 upward, the inner cable 94 a of the brake cable 94 is relatively pulled out from the outer cable 94 b. When the user releases his/her hand from the brake lever 49, the brake lever 49 is pushed downward by the biasing force of the torsion spring and the inner cable 94 a of the brake cable 94 is relatively pushed into the outer cable 94 b.

Battery Box 8

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the battery box 8 includes a casing 100, a top cover 102, a front cover 104, and a battery cover 106. The casing 100, the top cover 102, the front cover 104, and the battery cover 106 are constituted of resin. The casing 100 has a box shape. The top cover 102 is attached to an upper surface of the casing 100. The top cover 102 has a substantially flat plate shape and is inclined downward from the front toward rear. The front cover 104 is attached to a front surface of the casing 100. The front cover 104 has a substantially flat plate shape and is substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The battery box 8 is fixed to the handle unit 6 by screwing the front cover 104 to the wall 28 a (see FIG. 2) of the base plate 28 with the battery box 8 placed on the floor 28 b (see FIG. 2) of the base plate 28 of the handle unit 6.

As shown in FIG. 14, a control board 108 is housed in the casing 100. Further, a plurality of battery mounting portions 110 is disposed on a rear surface of the casing 100. A plurality of battery packs 112 is detachably attached to the plurality of battery mounting portions 110. The battery packs 112 each include, for example, a secondary battery cell such as a lithium ion battery cell (not shown) and are configured to be charged by a charger (not shown). Each of the battery packs 112 has, for example, a rated voltage of 18V and a rated capacity of 6.0 Ah. The battery packs 112 can be also used in an electric device other than the cart 2, for example, in an electric power tool such as electric driver, or an electric working machine such as electric mower. As shown in FIG. 15, in the cart 2 of the present embodiment, the plurality of battery packs 112 (e.g., four battery packs 112) is grouped into first-group battery packs 112 a (e.g., two battery packs on the left) and second-group battery packs 112 b (e.g., two battery packs on the right). The cart 2 of the present embodiment is switchable between a state in which the cart 2 uses the first-group battery packs 112 a connected in series as the power source and a state in which the cart 2 uses the second-group battery packs 112 b connected in series as the power source.

As shown in FIG. 12, the battery cover 106 is attached to the casing 100 via a hinge 106 a disposed at an upper end of the battery cover 106. The battery cover 106 is pivotable relative to the casing 100 about a pivot axis 106 b extending in the right-left direction. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the battery cover 106 includes an upper inclined surface 106 c that is inclined downward from the front to rear, a lower inclined surface 106 d that is continuous from the upper inclined surface 106 c and is inclined downward from the rear to front, a bottom surface 106 e that is continuous from the lower inclined surface 106 d and is substantially perpendicular to the up-down direction, a right side surface 106 f that connects right ends of the upper inclined surface 106 c, the lower inclined surface 106 d, and the bottom surface 106 e, and a left side surface 106 g that connects left ends of the upper inclined surface 106 c, the lower inclined surface 106 d, and the bottom surface 106 e. A recessed surface 106 h which is recessed toward the front is disposed at an upper portion of the upper inclined surface 106 c, and the hinge 106 a is disposed on the recessed surface 106 h. As shown in FIG. 14, the battery cover 106 covers the periphery of the plurality of battery packs 112 attached to the battery mounting portions 110 when the battery cover 106 is closed with respect to the casing 100. In this state, an upper surface of the top cover 102 and an upper surface of the battery cover 106 are inclined relative to a horizontal surface. Thus, even when water adheres to the upper surface of the top cover 102 and/or the upper surface of the battery cover 106, the water travels along the upper surface of the top cover 102 and/or the upper surface of the battery cover 106 and then drops downward from the battery box 8.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, when the battery cover 106 is open with respect to the casing 100, the battery packs 112 can be removed or attached with respect to the battery mounting portions 110 by being slid in a predetermined sliding direction (see an arrow in FIG. 16). When the battery cover 106 is open with respect to the casing 100, the battery cover 106 is located at a position that does not interfere with the sliding of the battery packs 112. Thus, the opened battery cover 106 does not interfere with the attachment or detachment of the battery packs 112.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 16, the pivot axis 106 b of the battery cover 106 is located below the top cover 102, and a rear end of the top cover 102 extends rearward beyond the pivot axis 106 b. Thus, as shown in FIG. 14, in a top view of the battery box 8 with the battery cover 106 closed with respect to the casing 100, the battery cover 106 and the top cover 102 partially overlap with each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 16, in the top view of the battery box 8 with the battery cover 106 opened with respect to the casing 100, the battery cover 106 and the top cover 102 partially overlap with each other. Even though water adheres to an outer surface of the top cover 102 and/or an outer surface of the battery cover 106, such a configuration can prevent the water from dripping onto the battery packs 112 attached to the battery mounting portions 110. An eaves 102 a overhanging the hinge 106 a is disposed at a position correspond to the hinge 106 a in the rear end of the top cover 102. This can suppress water droplets from adhering to the hinge 106 a and affecting the pivoting of the battery cover 106.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a water tray 110 b surrounded by a side wall 110 a is disposed on upper surfaces of the battery mounting portions 110. Thus, even if water drops onto the upper surfaces of the battery mounting portions 110, the water is suppressed from reaching the battery packs 112 attached to the battery mounting portions 110.

As shown in FIG. 15, a sealing member 114 may be attached to the rear surface of the casing 100. The sealing member 114 is, for example, a rubber O-ring and is disposed around the plurality of battery mounting portions 110. A rib 116 is disposed on an inner surface of the battery cover 106, corresponding to the sealing member 114. When the battery cover 106 is closed with respect to the casing 100, the rib 116 contacts and presses the sealing member 114. This prevents water from entering the inside of the battery cover 106 while the battery cover 106 is closed with respect to the casing 100.

The battery covet 106 is biased by a torsion spring (not shown) in a direction that closes the battery cover 106 with respect to the casing 100. In the cart 2, the gravity on the battery cover 106 acts as a force in the direction that closes the battery cover 106 with respect to the casing 100. A latch member 118, which is configured to be operable by the user, is disposed on the battery cover 106. The latch member 118 can keep the battery cover 106 closed by engaging with a latch receiver 100 a disposed in a lower portion of the casing 100 when the battery cover 106 is closed.

As shown in FIG. 12, an operation panel 120 is disposed on the top cover 102. The operation panel 120 includes a battery remaining charge indicator 120 a, a power supply switching knob 120 b, a lighting button 120 c, a display switching button 120 d, and a container operation switch 120 e. The battery remaining charge indicator 120 a corresponds to the plurality of battery packs 112 attached to the plurality of battery mounting portions 110 and changes the number of lighted windows according to battery remaining charge of the plurality of battery packs 112 attached to the plurality of battery mounting portions 110. The power supply switching knob 120 b is a knob for the user to switch the power supply of the cart 2 between the first-group battery packs 112 a and the second-group battery packs 112 b. The lighting button 120 c is a button for the user to switch on/off of a right headlight 156 and a left headlight 158, which will be described later. The display switching button 120 d is a button for the user to switch on/off of the display of battery remaining charge by the battery remaining charge indicator 120 a. The container operation switch 120 e is, for example, a momentary rocker switch and is a switch for accepting user's operations to the container unit 800. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 16, an operation board (not shown) and a power supply switching switch 122 are housed in the casing 100 below the operation panel 120. The operation board includes an LED (not shown) for lighting/un-lighting the battery remaining charge indicator 120 a and switches (not shown) for detecting user's operations to the lighting button 120 c and the display switching button 120 d. The power supply switching switch 122 is configured to detect a user's operation to the power supply switching knob 120 b.

As shown in FIG. 13, a buzzer 124 is disposed in an upper right portion of the front cover 104. The buzzer 124 is configured to emit an alarm sound when activated by the user pressing the alarm sound button 70 of the right handle 18. A signal cable 92 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) connecting the switch box 40 to the battery box 8, a power supply cable 156 a (see FIG. 17) connecting the battery box 8 to the right headlight 156 and the left headlight 158 (see FIG. 17), a power cable (not shown) connecting the battery box 8 to a motor 150, and a power cable (not shown) connecting the battery box 8 to the container unit 800 are inserted into a bottom surface of the casing 100.

As shown in FIG. 15, a key attachment 128 that is configured to detachably attach a key 126 thereto is disposed on the rear surface of the casing 100. Attachment/detachment of the key 126 to/from the key attachment 128 is realized by inserting/removing the key 126 to/from the key attachment 128. Supply of electric power from the battery packs 112 to the motor 150 (which will be described later) is cut off when the key 126 is removed from the key attachment 128. Supply of electric power from the battery packs 112 to the motor 150 is allowed when the key 126 is attached to the key attachment 128.

Chassis Frame 10

As shown in FIG. 1, the chassis frame 10 includes the frame plate 130, a right frame pipe 132, a left frame pipe 134, and a central frame pipe 136. All of the frame plate 130, the right frame pipe 132, the left frame pipe 134, and the central frame pipe 136 are constituted of a steel material. The frame plate 130 includes a floor plate 130 a having a substantially rectangular shape where its long side is along the right-left direction and its short side is along the front-rear direction, a front flange 130 b that is bent downward from a front end of the floor plate 130 a, and a rear flange 130 c that is bent downward from a rear end of the floor plate 130 a (see FIGS. 36 and 38). On a lower surface of the frame plate 130, multiple reinforcing ribs (not shown) are arranged along the front-rear direction and the right-left direction between the front flange 130 b and the rear flange 130 c. The rear wheel unit 14 is attached to the frame plate 130. Rear ends of the right frame pipe 132 and the left frame pipe 134 are welded to the frame plate 130, and the right frame pipe 132 and the left frame pipe 134 extend forward. An interval between the right frame pipe 132 and the left frame pipe 134 increases from the rear to the front. Front ends of the left frame pipe 134 and the right frame pipe 132 are attached to the front wheel unit 12. The central frame pipe 136 is disposed in the vicinity of the front wheel unit 12, a right end thereof is welded to the right frame pipe 132, and a left end thereof is welded to the left frame pipe 134. The power supply cable 156 a (see FIG. 17) connecting the right headlight 156 and the left headlight 158 to the battery box 8 and a cable cover 138 that protects a power cable (not shown) connecting the battery box 8 to the motor 150 are attached to the right frame pipe 132.

Front Wheel Unit 12

As shown in FIG. 17, the front wheel unit 12 includes a right front wheel 140, a left front wheel 142, a right front wheel brake 144, a left front wheel brake 146, a brake equalizer 148, the motor 150, a gearbox 152, a dead man's brake 154, the right headlight 156, and the left headlight 158. The right front wheel 140 is connected to the gearbox 152 via a right drive shaft 160 (see FIGS. 21 and 22). The right drive shaft 160 extends in a right axle case 162 along the right-left direction and is rotatably supported by the right axle case 162 via a bearing (not shown). The right axle case 162 is held by the right frame pipe 132 via a right bracket 164 welded to the right frame pipe 132. The left front wheel 142 is connected to the gearbox 152 via a left drive shaft 166 (see FIGS. 21 and 22). The left drive shaft 166 extends in a left axle case 168 along the right-left direction and is rotatably supported by the left axle case 168 via a bearing (not shown). The left axle case 168 is held by the left frame pipe 134 via a left bracket 170 welded to the left frame pipe 134. All of the right axle case 162, the right bracket 164, the left axle case 168, and the left bracket 170 are constituted of a steel material.

The right front wheel brake 144 includes a disk rotor 172 and a brake caliper 174. The disk rotor 172 is disposed leftward of the right front wheel 140 and is fixed to the right front wheel 140 via a hub 140 a. The brake caliper 174 is disposed corresponding to the disk rotor 172. The brake caliper 174 is held by the right bracket 164. A right brake cable 176 is connected to the brake caliper 174. The right brake cable 176 includes an inner cable 176 a and an outer cable 176 b covering the periphery of the inner cable 176 a. When the inner cable 176 a of the right brake cable 176 is relatively pulled into the outer cable 176 b, the brake caliper 174 has a pair of brake pads (not shown) sandwiching the vicinity of outer edge of the disk rotor 172, which applies a frictional force to the disk rotor 172 to brake the right front wheel 140. When the inner cable 176 a of the right brake cable 176 is relatively pushed out from the outer cable 176 b, the pair of brake pads is separated from the disk rotor 172 and the braking on the right front wheel 140 is thereby released. The right front wheel brake 144 may be a so-called disk brake as described above, or may be another type of brake such as a drum brake or a band brake.

The left front wheel brake 146 includes a disk rotor 178 and a brake caliper 180. The disk rotor 178 is disposed rightward of the left front wheel 142 and is fixed to the left front wheel 142 via a hub 142 a. The brake caliper 180 is disposed corresponding to the disk rotor 178. The brake caliper 180 is held by the left bracket 170. A left brake cable 182 is connected to the brake caliper 180. The left brake cable 182 includes an inner cable 182 a and an outer cable 182 b covering the periphery of the inner cable 182 a. When the inner cable 182 a of the left brake cable 182 is relatively pulled into the outer cable 182 b, the brake caliper 180 has a pair of brake pads (not shown) sandwiching the vicinity of outer edge of the disk rotor 178, which applies a frictional force to the disk rotor 178 to brake the left front wheel 142. When the inner cable 182 a of the left brake cable 182 is relatively pushed out from the outer cable 182 b, the pair of brake pads is separated from the disk rotor 178 and the braking on the left front wheel 142 is thereby released. The left front wheel brake 146 may be a so-called disk brake as described above, or may be another type of brake, such as a drum brake or a band brake.

Brake Equalizer 148

As shown in FIG. 18, the brake equalizer 148 includes a central bracket 184, a first link member 186, and a second link member 188. The central bracket 184 is constituted of a steel material, and the first link member 186 and the second link member 188 are both constituted of an aluminum material. The central bracket 184 is welded to the vicinity of the center of the central frame pipe 136. The first link member 186 and the second link member 188 are pivotably supported by the central bracket 184 via a pivot axis 190 extending in the up-down direction. The first link member 186 includes an input arm 186 a extending rightward and forward from the pivot axis 190 and an output arm 186 b extending rightward and rearward from the pivot axis 190. A distal end of the input arm 186 a is connected to the inner cable 94 a of the brake cable 94 extending from the brake lever 49 of the left handle 20. A distal end of the output arm 186 b is connected to the inner cable 176 a of the right brake cable 176. The second link member 188 includes an input arm 188 a extending rightward and forward from the pivot axis 190 and an output arm 188 b extending leftward and rearward from the pivot axis 190. A distal end of the input arm 188 a is connected to the outer cable 940 of the brake cable 94 extending from the brake lever 49 of the left handle 20. A distal end of the output arm 188 b is connected to the inner cable 182 a of the left brake cable 182. The outer cable 176 b of the right brake cable 176 and the outer cable 182 b of the left brake cable 182 are both fixed to the central bracket 184. In another embodiment, the first link member 186 and the second link member 188 may be pivotably supported by the central bracket 184 via a pivot axis extending in the right-left direction or in the front-rear direction.

A distance from the pivot axis 190 to the distal end of the input arm 186 a, a distance from the pivot axis 190 to the distal end of the output arm 186 b, and an angle formed by the input arm 186 a and the output arm 186 b in the first link member 186 are substantially the same as a distance from the pivot axis 190 to the distal end of the input arm 188 a, a distance from the pivot axis 190 to the distal end of the output arm 188 b, and an angle formed by the input arm 188 a and the output arm 188 b in the second link member 188.

As shown in FIG. 19, when the brake lever 49 of the left handle 20 is not pushed up by the user, the inner cable 176 a of the right brake cable 176 is relatively pushed into the outer cable 176 b by the first link member 186 and the inner cable 182 a of the left brake cable 182 is relatively pushed into the outer cable 182 b by the second link member 188. In this state, the brake on the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 is released.

As shown in FIG. 20, when the brake lever 49 of the left handle 20 is pushed up by the user, the inner cable 94 a of the brake cable 94 is relatively pulled into the outer cable 94 b. This moves the input arm 186 a of the first link member 186 rightward and the output arm 186 b leftward, as a result of which the inner cable 176 a of the right brake cable 176 is relatively pulled out from the outer cable 176 b. At the same time, the input arm 188 a of the second link member 188 is moved leftward and the output arm 188 b is moved rightward, as a result of which the inner cable 182 a of the left brake cable 182 is relatively pulled out from the outer cable 182 b. As above, the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 are braked.

Due to adjustment error between the right front wheel brake 144 and the left front wheel brake 146 and/or age deterioration of the right brake cable 176 and the left brake cable 182, the right front wheel brake 144 and the left front wheel brake 146 may operate differently even though the right brake cable 176 and the left brake cable 182 are the same in the pulled-out amount. For example, when the inner cable 94 a of the brake cable 94 is relatively pulled into the outer cable 94 b, the brake pads contact the disk rotor 172 in the right front wheel brake 144, whereas the brake pads may not contact the disk rotor 178 in the left front wheel brake 146. In such a state, when the inner cable 94 a of the brake cable 94 is further pulled into the outer cable 94 b, the first link member 186 does not pivot any more but the second link member 188 further pivots, which brings the brake pads into contact with the disk rotor 178 in the left front wheel brake 146. As described, the brake equalizer 148 of this embodiment can cancel out imbalance of tensions acting on the right brake cable 176 and the left brake cable 182 by the pivoting of the first link member 186 and the second link member 188, and can balance out the braking force applied to the right front wheel brake 144 and the braking force applied to the left front wheel brake 146.

The brake equalizer 148 may be configured as shown in FIG. 56. In the configuration shown in FIG. 56, the brake equalizer 148 includes a central bracket 184, a first link member 802, and a second link member 804. A front end of the first link member 802 and a front end of the second link member 804 are pivotably supported by the central bracket 184 via a pivot axis 806 extending in the up-down direction. The inner cable 182 a of the left brake cable 182 is connected to a rear end of the first link member 802. The inner cable 176 a of the right brake cable 176 is connected to a rear end of the second link member 804. The outer cable 176 a of the right brake cable 176 and the outer cable 182 b of the left brake cable 182 are both fixed to the central bracket 184. The inner cable 94 a of the brake cable 94 is connected to the vicinity of the center of the first link member 802. The outer cable 94 b of the brake cable 94 is connected to the vicinity of the center of the second link member 804. A distance from the pivot axis 806 to the position where the inner cable 94 a is retained and a distance from the pivot axis 806 to the position where the inner cable 182 a is retained in the first link member 802 are substantially the same as a distance from the pivot axis 806 to the position where the outer cable 94 b is retained and a distance from the pivot axis 806 to the position where the inner cable 176 a is retained in the second link member 804, respectively.

When the brake lever 49 of the left handle 20 is not pushed up by the user, the inner cable 182 a of the left brake cable 182 is relatively pushed in the outer cable 182 b by the first link member 802 and the hula cable 176 a of the right brake cable 176 is relatively pushed in the outer cable 176 b by the second link member 804. In this state, the brake on the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 is released.

When the brake lever 49 of the left handle 20 is pushed up by the user, the inner cable 94 a of the brake cable 94 is relatively pulled into the outer cable 94 b. This causes the first link member 802 to rotate rightward, thus the inner cable 182 a of the left brake cable 182 is thereby relatively pulled out from the outer cable 182 b. At the same time, the second link member 804 rotates leftward, thus the inner cable 176 a of the right brake cable 176 is thereby relatively pulled out from the outer cable 176 b. As a result, the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 are braked. As described, the configuration shown in FIG. 56 can also cancel out the imbalance of tensions acting on the right brake cable 176 and the left brake cable 182 by the pivoting of the first link member 802 and the second link member 804, and can balance out the braking force applied to the right front wheel brake 144 and the braking force applied to the left front wheel brake 146.

Alternatively, the brake equalizer 148 may be configured as shown in FIG. 57. In the configuration shown in FIG. 57, the brake equalizer 148 includes the central bracket 184, a first link member 808, and a second link member 810. The first link member 808 is pivotably supported by the central bracket 184 via a pivot axis 812 extending in the up-down direction. The second link member 810 is pivotably supported by the central bracket 184 via a pivot axis 814 extending in the up-down direction. The inner cable 176 a of the right brake cable 176 is connected to a rear end of the first link member 808. The inner cable 182 a of the left brake cable 182 is connected to a rear end of the second link member 810. The outer cable 176 b of the right brake cable 176 and the outer cable 182 b of the left brake cable 182 are both fixed to the central bracket 184. The inner cable 94 a of the brake cable 94 is connected to a front end of the first link member 808. The outer cable 94 b of the brake cable 94 is connected to a front end of the second link member 810. A distance from the pivot axis 812 to the position where the inner cable 94 a is retained and a distance from the pivot axis 812 to the position where the inner cable 176 a is retained in the first link member 808 are substantially the same as a distance from the pivot axis 814 to the position where the outer cable 94 b is retained and a distance from the pivot axis 814 to the position where the inner cable 182 a is retained in the second link member 810, respectively.

When the brake lever 49 of the left handle 20 is not pushed up by the user, the inner cable 176 a of the right brake cable 176 is relatively pushed into the outer cable 176 b by the first link member 808, and the inner cable 182 a of the left brake cable 182 is relatively pushed into the outer cable 182 b by the second link member 810. In this state, the brake on the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 is released.

When the brake lever 49 of the left handle 20 is pushed up by the user, the inner cable 94 a of the brake cable 94 is relatively pulled into the outer cable 94 b. This causes the first link member 808 to pivot such that its front end moves rightward and its rear end moves leftward, thus the inner cable 176 a of the right brake cable 176 is relatively pulled out from the outer cable 176 b. At the same time, the second link member 810 pivots such that its front end moves leftward and its rear end moves rightward, thus the inner cable 182 a of the left brake cable 182 is relatively pulled out from the outer cable 182 b. As a result, the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 are braked. As described, the configuration of FIG. 57 can also cancel out the imbalance of tensions acting on the right brake cable 176 and the left brake cable 182 by the pivoting of the first link member 808 and the second link member 810, and can balance out the braking force applied to the right front wheel brake 144 and the braking force applied to the left front wheel brake 146.

Motor 150

As shown in FIG. 21, the motor 150 includes a stator 192, a rotor 194, and a motor case 196. The motor 150 is, for example, a brushless DC motor. The stator 192 and the rotor 194 are housed in the motor case 196. The motor case 196 is constituted of an aluminum material. The stator 192 is fixed to the motor case 196. The rotor 194 is fixed to a motor shaft 198. The motor shaft 198 extends in the right-left direction and is rotatably supported by the motor case 196 via bearings 198 a and 198 b. A left end of the motor shaft 198 is connected to the gearbox 152. A right end of the motor shaft 198 is located outside of the motor case 196 and is connected to the dead man's brake 154. The motor 150 is connected to the battery box 8 via a power cable (not shown). The motor 150 is supplied with power from the battery packs 112. Operation of the motor 150 is controlled by the control board 108.

Gearbox 152

The gearbox 152 includes a gear case 200, an intermediate shaft 202, a clutch mechanism 206, and a differential mechanism 208. The gear case 200 is constituted of an. aluminum material. The right axle case 162, the left axle case 168, and the gear case 200 are fixed with screws. The motor case 196 is screwed and fixed to the gear case 200. The gear case 200 is screwed and fixed to the central bracket 184 of the central frame pipe 136 via a support bracket (not shown).

The intermediate shaft 202 extends in the right-left direction and is rotatably supported.

by the gear case 200 via bearings 202 a and 202 b. The intermediate shaft 202 includes a first gear 203, a second gear 204, and a dog clutch 205. The first gear 203 is fixed to the intermediate shaft 202. The first gear 203 meshes with a spur gear 198 c disposed on the motor shaft 198. The first gear 203 includes an engagement recess 203 a that is recessed rightward. The second gear 204 is immovable in the right-left direction with respect to the intermediate shaft 202 and is rotatably supported by the intermediate shaft 202. The dog clutch 205 is movable in the right-left direction with respect to the second gear 204 and is supported by the second gear 204 in a non-rotatable manner. The dog clutch 205 includes an engagement projection 205 a that projects rightward and is configured to engage with the engagement recess 203 a of the first gear 203 and an engagement groove 205 b that circumferentially extends in an outer circumferential surface of the dog clutch 205.

The clutch mechanism 206 includes a clutch lever 210, a support bracket 212, a rod 214, and a selector 216. The clutch lever 210 and the support bracket 212 are disposed outside the gear case 200. The support bracket 212 is screwed and fixed to the gear case 200. The clutch lever 210 is pivotably supported by the support bracket 212 about a pivot axis 210 a. The clutch lever 210 includes a cam surface 210 b. The rod 214 extends in the right-left direction and penetrates the gear case 200 from the inside to the outside thereof. The rod 214 is supported by the gear case 200 and is slidable in the right-left direction. A left end of the rod 214 is located to face the cam surface 210 b of the clutch lever 210. The selector 216 is fixed to a right end of the rod 214, and the selector 216 is engaged with the engagement groove 205 b of the dog clutch 205. The rod 214 is biased leftward with respect to the gear case 200 by a compression spring (not shown). Thus, the left end of the rod 214 is always in contact with the cam surface 210 b of the clutch lever 210. The cam surface 210 b of the clutch lever 210 has a shape that allows the rod 214 to move leftward when the clutch lever 210 is pushed toward the support bracket 212 (see FIG. 21) and allows the rod 214 to move rightward when the clutch lever 210 is pulled away from the support bracket 212 (see FIG. 22).

The differential mechanism 208 includes a ring gear 208 a, a pinion case 208 b, a pinion shaft 208 c, a pinion gear 208 d, a right drive gear 208 e, and a left drive gear 208 f. The ring gear 208 a meshes with the second gear 204 of the intermediate shaft 202. The pinion case 208 b is screwed and fixed to the ring gear 208 a and rotates integrally with the ring gear 208 a. The ring gear 208 a is rotatably supported by the gear case 200 via a bearing 208 g, and the pinion case 208 b is rotatably supported by the gear case 200 via a bearing 208 h. The pinion shaft 208 c is rotatably supported by the pinion case 208 b. The pinion gear 208 d is fixed to the pinion shaft 208 c. The right drive gear 208 e is fixed to the right drive shaft 160 and meshes with the pinion gear 208 d. The left drive gear 208 f is fixed to the left drive shaft 166 and meshes with the pinion gear 208 d.

As shown in FIG. 21, when the clutch lever 210 of the clutch mechanism 206 is pushed down, the rod 214 and the selector 216 moves leftward and the engagement projection 205 a of the dog clutch 205 separates from the engagement recess 203 a of the first gear 203. In this state, the second gear 204 does not rotate even when the first gear 203 rotates. Thus, power from the motor shaft 198 is not transmitted to the ring gear 208 a of the differential mechanism 208. In this ease, when one of the right drive shaft 160 and the left drive shaft 166 rotates, the differential mechanism 208 rotates the other of the right drive shaft 160 and the left drive shaft 166 at the same rotational speed in the opposite direction.

As shown in FIG. 22, when the clutch lever 210 of the clutch mechanism 206 is pulled up, the rod 214 and the selector 216 moves rightward and the engagement projection 205 a of the dog clutch 205 engages with the engagement recess 203 a of the first gear 203. In this state, the second gear 204 rotates when the first gear 203 rotates. Thus, the power from the motor shaft 198 is transmitted to the ring gear 208 a of the differential mechanism 208 via the intermediate shaft 202. In this case, the differential mechanism 208 rotates the right drive shaft 160 and the left drive shaft 166 according to the power transmitted to the ring gear 208 a.

Dead Man's Brake 154

As shown in FIG. 23, the dead man's brake 154 includes a disk rotor 218 and a brake caliper 220. The disk rotor 218 is fixed to the right end of the motor shaft 198 of the motor 150. Although not shown in FIG. 23, the disk rotor 218 is covered by a disk cover 218 a (see FIGS. 21 and 22) fixed to the motor case 196. The brake caliper 220 is disposed corresponding to the disk rotor 218. The brake caliper 220 is supported by the motor case 196. The dead man's cable 90 extending from the right handle 18 is connected to the brake caliper 220. The brake caliper 220 biases a pair of brake pads (not shown) by a return spring (not shown) in a direction that brings the pair to sandwich the vicinity of outer edge of the disk rotor 218. Thus, when the inner cable 90 a of the dead man's cable 90 is relatively pushed out from the outer cable 90 b, the pair of brake pads sandwich the vicinity of the outer edge of the disk rotor 218, which applies a frictional force to the disk rotor 218 and brakes the motor shaft 198. When the inner cable 90 a of the dead man's cable 90 is relatively pulled into the outer cable 90 b, the pair of brake pads separates away from the disk rotor 218 against the biasing force of the return spring, which releases the brake on the motor shaft 198. The dead man's brake 154 may be a so-called disk brake as described above, or may be another type of brake such as a drum brake or a band brake.

While the right front wheel 140 and left front wheel 142 are rotated by the power of the motor 150, the motor shaft 198 is rotated at high rotational speed and low torque, whereas the right drive shaft 160 and left drive shaft 166 are rotated at low rotational speed and high torque. Since braking the motor shaft 198 by the dead man's brake 154 requires small torque for the brake as compared to braking the right front wheel 140 by the right front wheel brake 144 and braking the left front wheel 142 by the left front wheel brake 146, it can surely stop the rotation of the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142.

The motor 150, the gearbox 152, and the dead man's brake 154 may be configured as shown in FIGS. 58 and 59. In this configuration, the right end of the motor Shaft 198 is not located outside of the motor case 196. Further, a brake disk 850 is fixed to the left end of the motor shaft 198.

In the configuration shown in FIGS. 58 and 59, the gearbox 152 includes the gear case 200, a relay shaft 852, the differential mechanism 208, a differential lock mechanism 854, and a brake mechanism 856. In this configuration, the brake disk 850 and the brake mechanism 856 configure the dead man's brake 154. The relay shaft 852 extends in the right-left direction and is rotatably supported by the gear case 200 via bearings 852 a and 852 b. The relay shaft 852 includes a spur gear 852 c and a spur gear 852 d. The spur gear 852 c meshes with the spur gear 198 c disposed on the motor shaft 198. The spur gear 852 d meshes with the ring gear 208 a of the differential mechanism 208.

The differential lock mechanism 854 includes a dog clutch 858 and a compression spring 860. The dog clutch 858 is slidable in the right-left direction with respect to the left drive shaft 166 and is supported by the left drive shaft 166 to rotate integrally with the left drive shaft 166, The dog clutch 858 includes an engagement projection 858 a projecting rightward and an engagement groove 858 b circumferentially extending in an outer circumferential surface of dog clutch 858. In this configuration, the ring gear 208 a of the differential mechanism 208 includes an engagement recess 208 i configured to engage with the engagement projection 858 a of the dog clutch 858. The compression spring 860 biases the dog clutch 858 rightward (i.e., in a direction that brings the dog clutch 858 close to the ring gear 208 a) with respect to the gear case 200.

The brake mechanism 856 includes a rod 862, a brake plate 864, and a compression spring 866. The rod 862 extends in the right-left direction and penetrates the gear case 200 from the inside to the outside thereof. The rod 862 is supported by the gear case 200 and is slidable in the right-left direction. The inner cable 90 a of the dead man's cable 90 is connected to a left end of the rod 862. The outer cable 90 b of the dead man's cable 90 is connected to the gear case 200. The brake plate 864 is fixed to a right end of the rod 862. The brake plate 864 is provided with a brake shoe 864 a disposed corresponding to the brake disk 850 and a selector 864 b configured to engage with the engagement groove 858 b of the dog clutch 858. The compression spring 866 biases the brake plate 864 rightward (i.e., in a direction that brings the brake plate 864 close to the brake disk 850) with respect to the gear case 200.

As shown in FIG. 59, when the inner cable 90 a of the dead man's cable 90 is relatively pushed out from the outer cable 90 b, the rod 862 and the brake plate 864 is moved rightward by the biasing force of the compression spring 866 and the brake shoe 864 a is pressed against the brake disk 850. This applies a frictional force to the brake disk 850 and brakes the motor shaft 198. Further, when the selector 864 b disposed on the brake plate 864 is moved rightward, the dog clutch 858 is also moved rightward by the biasing force of the compression spring 860 and the engagement projection 858 a of the dog clutch 858 engages with the engagement recess 208 i of the ring gear 208 a. In this case, at the differential mechanism 208, the ring gear 208 a is fixed to the left drive shaft 166, and the right drive shaft 160 and the left drive shaft 166 rotate at the same rotational speed in the same direction. Braking the rotation of the motor shaft 198 by the dead man's brake 154 results in braking the rotation of the ring gear 208 a, thereby braking the rotation of the right drive shaft 160 and the left drive shaft 166.

As shown in FIG. 58, when the inner cable 90 a of the dead man's cable 90 is relatively pulled into the outer cable 90 b, the rod 862 and the brake plate 864 are moved leftward and the brake shoe 864 a is separated away from the brake disk 850. This releases the brake on the motor shaft 198. Further, when the selector 864 b disposed on the brake plate 864 is moved leftward, the dog clutch 858 is also moved leftward and the engagement projection 858 a of the dog clutch 858 is separated from the engagement recess 208 i of the ring gear 208 a. In this case, the differential mechanism 208 rotates the right drive shaft 160 and the left drive shaft 166 according to the power transmitted from the motor shaft 198 to the ring gear 208 a via the relay shaft 852.

Right Headlight 156 and Left Headlight 158

As shown in FIG. 17, the right headlight 156 is supported by the right bracket 164. The right headlight 156 is connected to the battery box 8 via the power supply cable 156 a. The left headlight 158 is supported by the left bracket 170. The left headlight 158 is connected to the right headlight 156 via a relay cable 158 a. The right headlight 156 and the left headlight 158 are supplied with electric power from the battery packs 112. Operations of the right headlight 156 and the left headlight 158 are controlled by the control board 108.

Rear Wheel Unit 14

As shown in FIGS. 24, 25, and 26, the rear wheel unit 14 includes a base plate 222, a hinge 224, a right caster 226, and a left caster 228. The base plate 222 and the hinge 224 are both constituted of a steel material. The base plate 222 includes a web 222 a extending along the front-rear direction and the right-left direction, a front flange 222 b bent downward from a front end of the web 222 a, and a rear flange 222 c bent downward from a rear end of the web 222 a. The hinge 224 includes a support pipe 224 a extending in the front-rear direction, a front support plate 224 b extending in the up-down direction and the right-left direction, and a rear support plate 224 c extending in the up-down direction and the right-left direction. The front support plate 224 b has a substantially triangular shape and is welded to the vicinity of a front end of the support pipe 224 a with the support pipe 224 a penetrating the center of the front support plate 224 b. The rear support plate 224 c has a substantially triangular shape and is welded to the vicinity of a rear end of the support pipe 224 a with the support pipe 224 a penetrating the center of the rear support plate 224 c. Lower ends of the front support plate 224 b and the rear support plate 224 c are welded to an upper surface of the web 222 a of the base plate 222. In the following description, the base plate 222 and the hinge 224 may be collectively referred to as a rear wheel frame 225.

Right Caster 226

The right caster 226 includes a center pin 230, a top plate 232, a bracket 234, a wheel shaft 236, a right rear wheel 238, and a lock mechanism 240.

As shown in FIG. 27, the center pin 230 penetrates the web 222 a of the base plate 222 in the up-down direction. The center pin 230 is rotatably supported by the top plate 232 via a bearing 230 a. The top plate 232 is screwed and fixed to the base plate 222 with an upper surface of the top plate 232 being in contact with a lower surface of the web 222 a of the base plate 222. The bracket 234 includes a retainer 234 a, a right arm 234 b, and a left arm 234 c. The retainer 234 a, the right arm 234 b, and the left arm 234 c are configured integrally. The center pin 230 penetrates the retainer 234 a in the up-down direction. The retainer 234 a is fixed to a lower end of the center pin 230. The retainer 234 a is rotatably supported by the top plate 232 via a bearing 234 d. The right arm 234 b extends rearward and downward from a right end of the retainer 234 a. The left arm 234 e extends rearward and downward from a left end of the retainer 234 a.

As shown in FIG. 28, the wheel shaft 236 extends in the right-left direction. The wheel shaft 236 is configured of a bolt 236 a that penetrates a distal end portion of the left arm 234 c to a distal end portion of the right arm 234 b and a nut 236 b that is screwed to the bolt 236 a from the distal end side of the right arm 234 b. A right end of the wheel shaft 236 is fixed to the distal end of the right arm 234 b, and a left end of the wheel shaft 236 is fixed to the distal end of the left aim 234 c. The right rear wheel 238 includes a first right rear wheel 238 a and a second right rear wheel 238 b. The first right rear wheel 238 a is rotatably supported by the wheel shaft 236 via a bearing 238 c. The second right rear wheel 238 b is rotatably supported by the wheel shaft 236 via a bearing 238 d. That is, the first right rear wheel 238 a and the second right rear wheel 238 b are rotatable about a rotation axis RX2, which is a central axis of the wheel shaft 236, independently of each other. Diameters of the first right rear wheel 238 a and the second right rear wheel 238 b are, for example, 200 mm, and widths of the first right rear wheel 238 a and the second right rear wheel 238 b are, for example, 100 mm. An interval between the first right rear wheel 238 a and the second right rear wheel 238 b is, for example, 6 mm±2 mm,

As shown in FIG. 61, the wheel shaft 236 may be configured of a sleeve 236 c that penetrates the distal end portion of the left arm 234 c and the distal end portion of the right arm 234 b and includes a threaded inner surface, a bolt 236 d that is screwed into the sleeve 236 c from the distal end side of the right arm 234 b, and a bolt 236 e that is screwed into the sleeve 236 c from the distal end side of the left arm 234 c. In the configuration in which the wheel shaft 236 is configured of the bolt 236 a and the nut 236 b as shown in FIG. 28, the tip of the bolt 236 a protrudes from the nut 236 b when the nut 236 b is screwed to the bolt 236 a, which results in increased protrusion from the bracket 234 and may diminish the aesthetic appearance of the product. The configuration in which the wheel shaft 236 is configured of the sleeve 236 c and the bolts 236 d and 236 e, as shown in FIG. 61, can reduce the protrusion from the bracket 234 and improves the aesthetic appearance of the product.

In the right caster 226, the bracket 234, the wheel shaft 236, and the right rear wheel 238 integrally pivot, with respect to the top plate 232, on a pivot axis RX1 which is a central axis of the center pin 230. Thus, a traveling direction of the right rear wheel 238 can be changed in accordance with a traveling direction of the rear wheel unit 14.

As shown in FIGS. 34 and 35, in a top plan view of the right caster 226, the rotation axis RX2, which is the central axis of the wheel shaft 236, is offset from the pivot axis RX1, which is the central axis of the center pin 230. A distance from the pivot axis RX1 to the rotation axis RX2 in the top plan view of the right caster 226 is, for example, within a range of 50 mm to 60 mm, and the distance is, for example, 55 mm.

As shown in FIG. 27, the lock mechanism 240 includes a lock pin 242, a support plate 244, and a compression spring 246. The lock pin 242 is a substantially L-shaped rod member. The lock pin 242 includes a first shaft portion 242 a extending in the up-down direction and a second shaft portion 242 b that is bent at an upper end of the first shaft portion 242 a. The support plate 244 is screwed and fixed to the upper surface of the web 222 a of the base plate 222. As shown in FIG. 29, the support plate 244 includes a through hole 244 a through which the first shaft portion 242 a of the lock pin 242 passes in the up-down direction. An upper end of the support plate 244 is provided with a first retainer portion 244 b configured to retain the second shaft portion 242 b of the lock pin 242 at a first height and a second retainer portion 244 c configured to retain the second shaft portion 242 b of the lock pin 242 at a second height that is lower than the first height. As shown in FIG. 27, the compression spring 246 biases the lock pin 242 downward relative to the support plate 244.

As shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, the top plate 232 is provided with a through hole 232 a through which the first shaft portion 242 a of the lock pin 242 passes. Engagement grooves 234 e with which the first shaft portion 242 a of the lock pin 242 engages are disposed in the retainer 234 a of the bracket 234 at predetermined angular intervals. As shown in FIG. 30, when the second shaft portion 242 b of the lock pin 242 is retained by the first retainer portion 244 b of the support plate 244, the first shaft portion 242 a of the lock pin 242 is through the through hole 232 a of the top plate 232 but is not engaged with any of the engagement grooves 234 e of the bracket 234. This state allows the bracket 234, the wheel shaft 236, and the right rear wheel 238 to integrally pivot with respect to the top plate 232. The position of the lock pin 242 in this state may be referred to as an unlocked position. As shown in FIG. 31, when the second shaft portion 242 b of the lock pin 242 is retained by the second retainer portion 244 c of the support plate 244, the first shaft portion 242 a of the lock pin 242 is through the through hole 232 a of the top plate 232 and is further engaged with one of the engagement grooves 234 e of the bracket 234. This state prohibits the bracket 234, the wheel shaft 236, and the right rear wheel 238 from integrally pivoting with respect to the top plate 232. The position of the lock pin 242 in this state may be referred to as a locking position. By switching the position of the lock pin 242 between the locking position and the unlocked position, the user of the cart 2 can switch the state of right caster 226 between the state that allows the integral pivoting of the bracket 234, the wheel shaft 236, and the right rear wheel 238 and the state that prohibits the integral pivoting.

For a configuration in which the right rear wheel 238 includes only a single wheel 238 e, FIG. 32 shows a positional relationship between the center pin 230, the wheel shaft 236, and the wheel 238 e in the top view of the right caster 226. For example, when the right rear wheel 238 obliquely collides with a bump S, the right rear wheel 238 would easily cross over the bump S if the wheel shaft 236 and the wheel 238 e are pivoted such that the traveling direction of the wheel 238 e becomes perpendicular to the bump S as shown in FIG. 33. However, torque T, which is due to the force the wheel 238 e receives from the bump S shown in FIG. 32, acts in the opposite direction to the above-mentioned pivot direction, thus the wheel 238 e pivots such that a side surface of the wheel 238 e comes into contact with the bump S as shown in FIG. 60. With the wheel 238 e pivoted as such, the right rear wheel 238 cannot cross over the bump S.

On the other hand, in the cart 2 of the present embodiment, the right rear wheel 238 includes the first right rear wheel 238 a and the second right rear wheel 238 b as shown in FIG. 34. For example, when the right rear wheel 238 obliquely collides with the bump S, the right rear wheel 238 would easily cross over the bump S if the first right rear wheel 238 a and the second right rear wheel 238 b pivot such that the traveling direction of the first right rear wheel 238 a and the second right rear wheel 238 b becomes perpendicular to the bump S as shown in FIG. 35. In the present embodiment, torque T, which is due to the force the second right rear wheel 238 b receives from the bump S shown in FIG. 34, acts in the same direction as the above-mentioned pivot direction, thus the right rear wheel 238 can easily cross over the bump S.

In the cart 2 of the present embodiment, the first right rear wheel 238 a and the second right rear wheel 238 b are rotatable to the wheel shaft 236 independent of each other. Thus, as shown in FIG. 34, for example, when the right rear wheel 238 obliquely collides with the bump S and the second right rear wheel 238 b comes into contact with the bump S, rotating the first right rear wheel 238 a, which is not in contact with the bump S, relative to the second right rear wheel 238 b can easily change the traveling direction of the right rear wheel 238 to become perpendicular to the bump S as shown in FIG. 35, and the right rear wheel 238 can thereby easily cross over the bump S.

Left Caster 228

Similar to the right caster 226, the left caster 228 includes a center pin 250, a top plate 252, a bracket 254, a shaft 256, a left rear wheel 258, and a lock mechanism 260. The bracket 254 includes a retainer 254 a, a right arm 254 b, and a left arm 254 c. The left rear wheel 258 includes a first left rear wheel 258 a and a second left rear wheel 258 b. The lock mechanism. 260 includes a lock pin 262, a support plate 264, and a compression spring 266. Detailed description for the configuration of the left caster 228 is omitted because it is the same as horizontally inverted configuration of the right caster 226.

Coupling Site of Rear Wheel Unit 14 and Chassis Frame 10

As shown in FIG. 36, the rear wheel unit 14 is connected to the chassis frame 10 via a coupling shaft 270 extending in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 37, a coupling pipe 272 and a support plate 274 are welded to the lower surface of the frame plate 130 of the chassis frame 10. The coupling pipe 272 extends along the front-rear direction, a front end thereof penetrates the support plate 274, and a rear end thereof penetrates the rear flange 130 c. The coupling shaft 270 includes a head 270 a and a shaft 270 b. The shaft 270 b of the coupling shaft 270 is inserted into the support pipe 224 a of the rear wheel unit 14 from the rear and penetrates the support pipe 224 a, and further penetrates the coupling pipe 272 of the chassis frame 10. A front end of the coupling shaft 270 is fixed to the support plate 274 with a coupling pin 276.

The support pipe 224 a is slidable relative to the coupling shaft 270. Thus, as shown in FIG. 38, the rear wheel unit 14 is supported by the chassis frame 10 such that it is swingable about a swing axis PX which is a central axis of the coupling shaft 270. This configuration allows the rear wheel unit 14 to swing with respect to the chassis frame 10 when the cart 2 travels on an uneven surface, which helps the cart 2 to well follow the surface. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, in a rear plan view of the chassis unit 4, the swing axis PX of the rear wheel unit 14 is located above a straight line L passing through an upper end of the right rear wheel 238 and an upper end of the left rear wheel 258. This secures the minimum ground clearance and suppresses vibrations of the chassis frame 10 while the cart 2 travels. As shown in FIG. 38, the rear flange 130 c of the chassis frame 10 is provided with a right stopper surface 130 d located rightward of the coupling shaft 270 and a left stopper surface 130 e located leftward of the coupling shaft 270. The right stopper surface 130 d is inclined upward from the left toward the right. The right stopper surface 130 d contacts the floor plate 130 a of the chassis frame 10 when the rear wheel unit 14 swings with respect to the chassis frame 10 in a direction that moves the right rear wheel 238 upward, thereby limiting the swing angle of the rear wheel unit 14 with respect to the chassis frame 10. The left stopper surface 130 e is inclined upward from the right to the left. The left stopper surface 130 e contacts the floor plate 130 a of the chassis frame 10 when the rear wheel unit 14 swings with respect to the chassis frame 10 in a direction that moves the left rear wheel 258 upward, thereby limiting the swing angle of the rear wheel unit 14 with respect to the chassis frame 10. In another embodiment, the rear Wheel unit 14 may be supported by the chassis frame 10 such that it is not swingable about the swing axis PX with respect to the chassis frame 10.

In the chassis unit 4 of the present embodiment, the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 are drive wheels, while the right rear wheel 238 and the left rear wheel 258 are non-drive wheels. In another embodiment, the right front wheel 140 and/or the left front wheel. 142 may be non-drive wheel(s), and the right rear wheel 238 and/or the left rear wheel 258 may be drive wheel(s). Further, in another embodiment, one of the front wheel unit 12 and the rear wheel unit 14 may include only one wheel, and the other of the front wheel unit 12 and the rear wheel unit 14 may include a plurality of wheels. In yet another embodiment, the chassis unit 4 may not include the rear wheel unit 14, and the front wheel unit 12 may include only one drive wheel. In yet another embodiment, the chassis unit 4 may include a crawler that is driven by a prime mover, instead of the right front wheel 140, the left front wheel 142, the right rear wheel 238 and the left rear wheel 258.

In the chassis unit 4 of the present embodiment, the prime mover for rotating the drive wheel(s) is the motor 150, and the motor 150 is driven by the power from the battery packs 112 in the battery box 8. In another embodiment, the prime mover for rotating the drive wheel(s) may be an engine. In yet another embodiment, the motor 150 may be driven by power supplied via a power cord from an external power supply. In yet another embodiment, the motor 150 may be a motor other than a brushless motor, such as a motor with brush. In yet another embodiment, the motor 150 may be an in-wheel motor corresponding to each of the drive wheel(s).

The chassis unit 4 of the present embodiment includes the right handle 18 and the left handle 20 which extend in the up-down direction on the, right side and the left side of the user, of which upper ends are bent rearward, and of which rear ends are provided with the grips 38 and 48. In another embodiment, the chassis unit 4 may include a so-called looped handle in which support portions extend in the up-down direction on the right side and the left side of the user and upper ends of the support portions are connected by a grip portion extending in the right-left direction. In this case, the taillight 74 may be disposed on the support portion on the right side of the user and/or the support portion on the left side of the user, and/or may be disposed in the vicinity of right end and/or left end of the grip portion extending in the right-left direction. Alternatively, the chassis unit 4 may include a so-called. T-shaped handle in which a support portion extends in the up-down direction at the center in the right-left direction and an upper end of the support portion is connected to a grip portion extending in the right-left direction. In this case, the taillight 74 may be disposed in the vicinity of right end and/or left end of the grip portion extending in the right-left direction.

First Container Unit 300

As shown in FIGS. 39 and 40, the first container unit 300 includes a container 302, a right guard 304 a left guard 306, a front guard 308, a rear guard 310, first arms 312, second arms 314, an actuator 316, and a support base 318. The support base 318 of the first container unit 300 is screwed and fixed to the chassis unit 4. The first container unit 300 is configured to move the container 302 in the up-down direction relative to the support base 318 by the actuator 316.

As shown in FIGS. 39, 40, and 41, the container 302 includes a container plate 320, a right channel 322, a left channel 324, reinforcement channels 326, right guard retaining portions 328, left guard retaining portions 330, and front guard retaining portions 332. All of the container plate 320, the right channel 322, the left channel 324, the reinforcement channels 326, the right guard retaining portions 328, the left guard retaining portions 330, and the front guard retaining portions 332 are constituted of a steel material. The container plate 320 includes a top plate 320 a that extends the front-rear direction and in the right-left direction and has a substantially rectangular shape with a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction, a right flange 320 b that is bent downward from a right end of the top plate 320 a, a left flange 320 c that is bent downward from a left end of the top plate 320 a, a front flange 320 d that is bent downward from a front end of the top plate 320 a, and a rear flange 320 e that is bent downward from a rear end of the top plate 320 a. An upper surface of the top plate 320 a configures a flat surface on which a load is to be placed. The right channel 322 and the left channel 324 extend in the front-rear direction between the front flange 320 d and the rear flange 320 e along a lower surface of the top plate 320 a and are welded to the container plate 320. The right channel 322 has a cross-sectional shape with its left side opened, and the left channel 324 has a cross-sectional shape with its right side opened. The reinforcement channels 326 extend along the lower surface of the top plate 320 a between the right flange 320 b and the right channel 322 and between the left flange 320 c and the left channel 324, and are welded to the container plate 320, The right guard retaining portions 328 are welded to a right surface of the right flange 320 b. The right guard retaining portions 328 are located in the vicinity of connection site of the reinforcement channels 326 and the right flange 320 b. The left guard retaining portions 330 are welded to a left surface of the left flange 320 c. The left guard retaining portions 330 are located in the vicinity of connection site of the reinforcement channels 326 and the left flange 320 c. The front guard retaining portions 332 are welded to a front surface of the front flange 320 d. The front guard retaining portions 332 are located in the vicinity of connection site of the right channel 322 and the front flange 320 d and in the vicinity of connection site of the left channel 324 and the front flange 320 d.

The right guard 304 includes a guard pipe 304 a and a support pipe 304 b. Both of the guard pipe 304 a and the support pipe 304 b are constituted of a steel material. The guard pipe 304 a extends in the front-rear direction and is bent downward at its front and rear ends. The support pipe 304 b extends in the up-down direction and its upper end is welded to a lower surface of the guard pipe 304 a. The left guard 306 includes a guard pipe 306 a and a support pipe 306 b. Both of the guard pipe 306 a and the support pipe 306 b are constituted of a steel material. The guard pipe 306 a extends in the front-rear direction and is bent downward at its front and rear ends. The support pipe 306 b extends in the up-down direction and its upper end is welded to a lower surface of the guard pipe 306 a. The front guard 308 includes a guard pipe 308 a and support pipes 308 b. All of the guard pipe 308 a and the support pipes 308 b are constituted of a steel material. The guard pipe 308 a extends in the right-left direction and is bent downward at its right and left ends. The support pipes 308 b extend in the up-down direction and their upper ends are welded to a lower surface of the guard pipe 308 a. The rear guard 310 includes a guard pipe 310 a and a guard plate 310 b. Both of the guard pipe 310 a and the guard plate 310 b are constituted of a steel material. The guard pipe 310 a extends in the right-left direction, is bent downward at its right and left ends, and has the ends fixed to the rear flange 320 e of the container plate 320. The guard plate 310 b extends in the up-down direction and the right-left direction, and has its left and right ends welded to the guard pipe 310 a.

As shown in FIG. 42, the right guard retaining portion 328 has a substantially rectangular tube shape and includes an upper opening 328 a and a lower opening 328 b. An inner space of the right guard retaining portion 328 is slightly larger than an outer diameter of the support pipe 304 b of the right guard 304 in the right-left direction and is at least twice the outer diameter of the support pipe 304 b of the right guard 304 in the front-rear direction. A support plate 328 c extending along the front-rear direction and the right-left direction is disposed at a lower front portion of the right guard retaining portion 328. A flange 328 d that is bent upward is disposed at a rear end of the support plate 328 c. A right surface of the right guard retaining portion 328 is provided with a right opening 328 e that is continuous from the lower opening 328 b. A retaining screw 304 c is attached to the vicinity of lower end of the support pipe 304 b of the right guard 304. The retaining screw 304 c is attached to the support pipe 304 b through the right opening 328 e with the support pipe 304 b inserted in the right guard retaining portion 328 from above. The retaining screw 304 c engages with an edge of the right opening 328 e when the support pipe 304 b is moved upward relative to the right guard retaining portion 328 to prevent the support pipe 304 b from getting out from the right guard retaining portion 328. An inner surface of the right guard retaining portion 328 is provided with a rubber 328 f for suppressing damage due to contact with the support pipe 304 b.

When the lower end of the support pipe 304 b is in contact with the support plate 328 c as shown in FIG. 42, the right guard 304 is retained by the right guard retaining portion 328 such that the upper end of the guard pipe 304 a is positioned higher than the upper surface of the top plate 320 a as shown in FIG. 39. In this state, the right guard 304 can prevent a load placed on the container plate 320 from falling off from the right side. The state of the right guard 304 shown in FIG. 42 may be referred to as a first state.

When the right guard 304 is lifted upward, moved rearward, and then moved downward in the first state of FIG. 42, the support pipe 304 b penetrates through the right guard retaining portion 328 and the lower surface of the guard pipe 304 a makes contact with an edge of the upper opening 328 a of the right guard retaining portion 328 as shown in FIG. 43. In this case, as shown in FIG. 44, the right guard 304 is retained by the right guard retaining portion 328 such that the upper end of the guard pipe 304 a is positioned lower than the upper surface of the top plate 302 a in this state, the right guard 304 does not interrupt loading and unloading of a load onto/from the container plate 320, which improves loading/unloading efficiency. The state of the right guard 304 shown in FIG. 43 may be referred to as a second state. When the right guard 304 is lifted upward, moved forward, and then moved downward in the second state of FIG. 43, the right guard 304 is brought back to the first state shown in FIG. 42. In the first container unit 300 of the present embodiment, the right guard 304 is not brought from the first state of FIG. 42 to the second state of FIG. 43 unintentionally because the flange 328 d is disposed at the rear end of the support plate 328 c.

In the present embodiment, the height of the right guard 304 relative to the container plate 320 can be changed by moving the right guard 304 in the up-down direction and front-rear direction, without moving it in the right-left direction. For example, in a top plan view of the first container unit 300 with the first state of FIG. 42, an interval between the right guard 304 and the container plate 320 is 30 mm±5 mm, and in a top plan view of the first container unit 300 with the second state of FIG. 43, an interval between the right guard 304 and the container plate 320 is 30 mm±5 mm. In the top view of the first container unit 300, change in the interval between the right guard 304 and the container plate 320 when the right guard 304 is brought from the first state of FIG. 42 to the second state of FIG. 43 and when the right guard 304 is brought from the second state of FIG. 43 to the first state of FIG. 42 is within a range of ±5 mm. This configuration enables height change of the right guard 304 relative to the container plate 320 even in a situation where a wide working space in the right-left direction cannot be secured. In the first state of FIG. 42 and the second state of FIG. 43, an interval into which the user can insert his/her finger(s) is left between the right guard 304 and the container plate 320, thus the user can easily grip the right guard 304.

Further, in the present embodiment, the height of the right guard 304 relative to the container plate 320 can be changed without substantially changing the angle of the right guard 304 relative to the container plate 320. For example, the angle of the right guard 304 relative to the container plate 320 is 90 degrees±3 degrees in the first state shown in FIG. 42, and the angle of the right guard 304 relative to the container plate 320 is 90 degrees±3 degrees in the second state shown in FIG. 43. Further, change in the angle of the right guard 304 relative to the container plate 320 when the right guard 304 transitions from the first state of FIG. 42 to the second state of FIG. 43 and when the right guard 304 transitions from the second state of FIG. 43 to the first state of FIG. 42 is within a range of ±3 degrees. This configuration enables height change of the right guard 304 relative to the container plate 320 even in a situation where a wide working space in the right-left direction cannot be secured.

The left guard retaining portion 330 has a configuration similar to that of the right guard retaining portion 328. In the state shown in FIG. 39, the left guard 306 is retained by the left guard retaining portion 330 such that an upper end of the guard pipe 306 a is positioned higher than the upper surface of the top plate 320 a. When the left guard 306 is lifted upward, moved rearward, and then moved downward in this state, the left guard 306 is retained by the left guard retaining portion 330 such that the upper end of the guard pipe 306 a is positioned lower than the upper surface of the top plate 302 a, as shown in FIG. 44. When the left guard 306 is lifted upward, moved forward, and then moved downward in the state of FIG. 44, the left guard 306 is brought back to the state of FIG. 39.

The front guard retaining portion 332 also has a similar configuration to that of the right guard retaining portion 328. In the state shown in FIG. 39, the front guard 308 is retained by the front guard retaining portion 332 such that an upper end of the guard pipe 308 a is positioned higher than the upper surface of the top plate 320 a. When the front guard 308 is lifted upward, moved leftward, and then moved downward in this state, the front guard 308 is retained by the front guard retaining portion 332 such that the upper end of the guard pipe 308 a is positioned lower than the upper surface of the top plate 302 a, as shown in FIG. 44. When the front guard 308 is lifted upward, moved rightward, and then moved downward in the state of FIG. 44, the front guard 308 is brought back to the state of FIG. 39.

As shown in FIG. 41, the support base 318 includes a right channel 334, a left channel 336, a front plate 338, a rear plate 340, and a reinforcement frame 342. All of the right channel 334, the left channel 336, the front plate 338, the rear plate 340, the reinforcement frame 342 are constituted of a steel material. The right channel 334 and the left channel 336 extend in the front-rear direction. The right channel 334 has a cross-sectional shape with its left side opened, and the left channel 336 has a cross-sectional shape with its right side opened. The front plate 338 is welded to a front end of the right channel 334 and a front end of the left channel 336. The rear plate 340 is welded to a rear end of the right channel 334 and a rear end of the left. channel 336. As shown in FIG. 40, the first container unit 300 is fixed to the chassis unit 4 by screwing the front plate 338 to the right bracket 164 and the left bracket 170 of the front wheel unit 12 and also screwing the rear plate 340 to the frame plate 130 of the chassis frame 10. The reinforcement frame 342 extends in the right-left direction, a right end thereof is welded to the right channel 334, and a left end thereof is welded to the left channel 336.

As shown in FIG. 41, the first arms 312 and the second arms 314 are connected to each other to be pivotable about a pivot axis, which is the right-left direction. The first arms 312 and the second arms 314 are both constituted of a steel material. Lower ends of the first arms 312 are supported at the vicinity of the front end of the right channel 334 and at the vicinity of the front end of the left channel 336 of the support base 318 such that they are pivotable about a pivot axis, which is the right-left direction. Upper ends of the first arms 312 include rollers 312 a and 312 b, respectively. The rollers 312 a and 312 b are supported by the right channel 322 and left channel 324 of the container 302, respectively. Upper ends of the second arms 314 are supported at the vicinity of the front end of the container plate 320 of the container 302 such that they are pivotable about a pivot axis, which is the right-left direction. Lower ends of the second arms 314 include roller's 314 a and 314 b (see FIG. 40), respectively. The rollers 314 a and 314 b are supported by the right channel 334 and the left channel 336 of the support base 318, respectively. A reinforcement frame 344 is welded to the first arms 312.

The actuator 316 is a linear actuator configured to contract and expand, for example, a hydraulic cylinder. One end of the actuator 316 is supported by the reinforcement frame 342 of the support base 318 to he pivotable about a pivot axis, which is the right-left direction. Another end of the actuator 316 is supported by the reinforcement frame 344 of the first arms 312 to be pivotable about a pivot axis, which is the right-left direction. The actuator 316 is connected to the battery box 8 via a power cable (not shown). The actuator 316 is supplied with the power from the battery packs 112. Operation of the actuator 316 is controlled by the control board 108. When the actuator 316 contracts, the first arms 312 are pivoted in a direction that brings the upper ends of the first arms 312 close to the support base 318 and the second arms 314 are also pivoted in a direction that brings the lower ends of the second arms 314 close to the container 302, as a result of which the container 302 is lowered to the support base 318 as shown in FIG. 39. When the actuator 316 expands, the first arms 312 are pivoted in a direction that brings the upper ends of the first arms 312 away from the support base 318 and the second arms 314 are also pivoted in a direction that brings the lower ends of the second arms 314 away from the container 302, as a result of which the container 302 is lifted relative to the support base 318 as shown in FIG. 40. The control board 108 controls the actuator 316 to expand while the user presses an upper portion of the container operation switch 120 e. The control board 108 controls the actuator 316 to contract while the user presses a lower portion of the container operation switch 120 e.

Second Container Unit 400

As shown in FIGS. 45, 46, and 47, the second container unit 400 includes a bucket 402, a bucket support base 404, support arms 406, a movable support base 408, an actuator 410, and a fixed support base 412. The fixed support base 412 of the second container unit 400 is screwed and fixed to the chassis frame 10. The second container unit 400 is configured to tilt the movable support base 408 relative to the fixed support base 412 by the actuator 410 as shown in FIG. 46. Further, the second container unit 400 is configured to further tilt the bucket 402 relative to the fixed support base 412 as shown in FIG. 47 by the user tilting the bucket support base 404 relative to the movable support base 408.

The bucket 402 has a box shape with its upper side open. As shown in FIG. 48, the bucket support base 404 includes a base plate 416, a base pipe 418, an upper frame 420, a lower frame 422, a handle 424, and a latch mechanism 426. All of the base plate 416, the base pipe 418, the upper frame 420, and the lower frame 422 are constituted of a steel material. The base plate 416 is disposed along the front-rear direction and the right-left direction. The base pipe 418 extends along a lower surface of a front lower portion of the bucket 402 and also extends in the front-rear direction along a lower surface of the base plate 416. The base pipe 418 is screwed to the front lower portion of the bucket 402 and is also screwed to the base plate 416. The upper frame 420 is disposed between a lower surface of a rear lower portion of the bucket 402 and the upper surface of the base plate 416, along the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. The upper frame 420 is screwed to the rear lower portion of the bucket 402 and is also screwed to the base plate 416. The lower frame 422 extends in the front-rear direction along the lower surface of the base plate 416. The lower frame 422 is welded to the base plate 416. The handle 424 is disposed rearward of the bucket 402. The handle 424 is screwed to the lower frame 422. The latch mechanism 426 is disposed below the handle 424. The latch mechanism 426 is fixed to the base plate 416 and the lower frame 422.

The movable support base 408 includes a right frame 428, a left frame 430, a front frame 432, a rear frame 434, and a latch receiver 436. All of the right frame 428, the left frame 430, the front frame 432, and the rear frame 434 are constituted of a steel material. The right frame 428 and the left frame 430 extend in the front-rear direction. A front end of the right frame 428 and a front end of the left frame 430 are connected to a front end of the lower frame 422 of the bucket support base 404 to be pivotable about a pivot axis, which is the right-left direction. The front frame 432 extends in the right-left direction between the vicinity of the front end of the right frame 428 and the vicinity of the front end of the left frame 430. The front frame 432 is welded to the right frame 428 and the left frame 430. The rear frame 434 extends in the right-left direction between a rear end of the right frame 428 and a rear end of the left frame 430. The rear frame 434 is welded to the right frame 428 and the left frame 430. The latch receiver 436 is fixed at the vicinity of a center of the rear frame 434. The latch receiver 436 is disposed at a position corresponding to the latch mechanism 426 of the bucket support base 404. When the bucket support base 404 is tilted relative to the movable support base 408 in a direction that brings a rear end of the bucket support base 404 close to a rear end of the movable support base 408, the latch mechanism 426 engages with the latch receiver 436. The latch mechanism 426 includes a unlatch knob 426 a. The latch mechanism 426 is disengaged from the latch receiver 436 by the user operating the unlatch knob 426 a when the latch mechanism 426 is engaged with the latch receiver 436.

The fixed support base 412 includes a right channel 438, a left channel 440, a front plate 442, a rear plate 444, and a reinforcement frame 446. All of the right channel 438, the left channel 440, the front plate 442, the rear plate 444, and the reinforcement frame 446 are constituted of a steel material. The right channel 438 and the left channel 440 extend in the front-rear direction. The right channel 438 has a cross-sectional shape with its left side opened, and the left channel 440 has a cross-sectional shape with its right side opened. The front plate 442 is welded to a front end of the right channel 438 and a front end of the left channel 440. The rear plate 444 is welded to a rear end of the right channel 438 and a rear end of the left channel 440. As shown in FIGS. 46 and 47, the second container unit 400 is fixed to the chassis unit 4 by screwing the front plate 442 to the right bracket 164 and the left bracket 170 of the front wheel unit 12 and also screwing the rear plate 444 to the frame plate 130 of the chassis frame 10. The reinforcement frame 446 extends in the right-left direction, a right end thereof is welded to the right channel 438, a left end thereof is welded to the left channel 440.

As shown in FIG. 48, upper ends of the support arms 406 are connected to the vicinity of the front end of the lower frame 422 of the bucket support base 404 to be pivotable about a pivot axis, which is the right-left direction. The support arms 406 are constituted of a steel material. Lower ends of the support arms 406 include rollers 406 a and 406 b, respectively. The rollers 406 a and 406 b are supported by the right channel 438 and left channel 440 of the fixed support base 412, respectively.

The actuator 410 is a linear actuator configured to contract. and expand, for example a hydraulic cylinder. One end of the actuator 410 is supported by the reinforcement frame 446 of the fixed support base 412 to be pivotable about a pivot axis, which is the right-left direction. Another end of the actuator 410 is supported by the front frame 432 of the movable support base 408 to be pivotable about a pivot axis in the right-left direction. The actuator 410 is connected to the battery box 8 of the chassis unit 4 via a power cable (not shown). The actuator 410 is supplied with the power from the battery packs 112. Operation of the actuator 410 is controlled by the control board 108. When the actuator 410 contracts, the movable support base 408 is pivoted relative to the fixed support base 412 in a direction that brings the rear end of the movable support base 408 close to the rear end of the fixed support base 412, as a result of which the movable support base 408 and the bucket support base 404 become substantially parallel to the fixed support base 412 as shown in FIG. 45. When the actuator 410 expands, the movable support base 408 is pivoted relative to the fixed support base 412 in a direction that brings the rear end of the movable support base 408 away from the rear end of the fixed support base 412, as a result of which the movable support base 408 and the bucket support base 404 become tilted relative to the fixed support base 412 as shown in FIG. 46. The control board 108 controls the actuator 410 to expand while the user presses the upper portion of the container operation switch 120 e. The control board 108 controls the actuator 410 to contract while the user presses the lower portion of the container operation switch 120 e. When the user operates the unlatch knob 426 a to disengage the latch mechanism 426 from the latch receiver 436 in the state shown in FIG. 46 and further pivots the handle 424 forward, the bucket support base 404 becomes tilted relative to the movable support base 408 as shown in FIG. 47.

Third Container Unit 500

As shown in FIGS. 49 and 50, the third container unit 500 includes a bucket 502, a movable support base 504, support arms 506, and a fixed support base 508. The fixed support base 508 of the third container unit 500 is screwed and fixed to the chassis unit 4. The third container unit 500 is configured to tilt the bucket 502 relative to the fixed support base 508 as shown in FIG. 50 by the user tilting the movable support base 504 relative to the fixed support base 508.

The bucket 502 has a box shape with its upper side opened. As shown in FIG. 51, the movable support base 504 includes a base plate 510, a base pipe 512, an upper frame 514, a lower frame 516, a handle 518, and a latch mechanism 520. All of the base plate 510, the base pipe 512, the upper frame 514, and the lower frame 516 are constituted of a steel material. The base plate 510 is disposed along the front-rear direction and the right-left direction. The base pipe 512 extends along a lower surface of a front lower portion of the bucket 502 and also extends in the front-rear direction along a lower surface of the base plate 510. The base pipe 512 is screwed to the front lower portion of the bucket 502 and is also screwed to the base plate 510. The upper frame 514 is disposed between a lower surface of a rear lower portion of the bucket 502 and an upper surface of the base plate 510, along the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. The upper frame 514 is screwed to the rear lower portion of the bucket 502 and is also screwed to the base plate 510. The lower frame 516 extends in the front-rear direction along the lower surface of the base plate 510. The lower frame 516 is welded to the base plate 510. The handle 518 is located rearward of the bucket 502. The handle 516 is screwed to the lower frame 516. The latch mechanism 520 is disposed below the handle 518. The latch mechanism 520 is fixed to the base plate 510 and the lower frame 516.

The fixed support base 508 includes a right channel 522, a left channel 524, a front plate 526, a rear plate 528, a reinforcement frame 530, and a latch receiver 532. All of the right channel 522, the left channel 524, the front plate 526, the rear plate 528, and the reinforcement frame 530 are constituted of a steel material. The right channel 522 and the left, channel 524 extend in the front-rear direction. The right channel 522 has a cross-sectional shape with its left side opened, and the left channel 524 has a cross-sectional shape with its right side opened. The front plate 526 is welded to a front end of the right channel 522 and a front end of the left channel 524. The rear plate 528 is welded to a rear end of the right channel 522 and a rear end of the left channel 524. As shown in FIGS. 49 and 50, the third container unit 500 is fixed to the chassis unit 4 by screwing the front plate 526 to the right bracket 164 and the left bracket 170 of the front wheel unit 12 and also screwing the rear plate 528 to the frame plate 130 of the chassis frame 10. As shown in FIG. 51, the reinforcement frame 530 extends in the right-left direction, a right end thereof is welded to the right channel 522, and a left end thereof is welded to the left channel 524. The latch receiver 532 is fixed at the vicinity of a center of the rear plate 528. The latch receiver 532 is disposed at a position corresponding to the latch mechanism 520 of the movable support base 504. When the movable support base 504 is tilted relative to the fixed support base 508 in a direction that brings a rear end of the movable support base 504 close to a rear end of the fixed support base 508, the latch mechanism 520 engages with the latch receiver 532. The latch mechanism 520 includes an unlatch knob 520 a. The latch mechanism 520 is disengaged from the latch receiver 532 by the user operating the unlatch knob 520 a when the latch mechanism 520 is engaged with the latch receiver 532.

Upper ends of the support arms 506 are connected to the vicinity of a front end of the lower frame 516 of the movable support base 504 to be pivotable about a pivot axis, which is the right-left direction. The support arms 506 are constituted of a steel material. Lower ends of the support arms 506 include rollers 506 a and 506 b, respectively. The rollers 506 a and 506 b are supported by the right channel 522 and the left channel 524 of the fixed support base 508, respectively.

When the user operates the unlatch knob 520 a to disengage the latch mechanism 520 from the latch receiver 532 in the state shown in FIG. 49 and further pivots the handle 518 in forward, the movable support base 504 becomes tilted relative to the fixed support base 508 as shown in FIG. 50.

Fourth Container Unit 600

As shown in FIGS. 52 and 53, the fourth container unit 600 includes a container 602, a movable support base 604, a support arm (not shown), and a fixed support base 606. The fixed support base 606 of the fourth container unit 600 is screwed and fixed to the chassis unit 4. The fourth container unit 600 is configured to tilt the container 602 relative to the fixed support base 606 by the user tilting the movable support base 604 relative to the fixed support base 606.

The container 602 includes a main frame 608, a right guard 610, a left guard 612, and a front guard 614. The main frame 608 includes a frame pipe 616, a floor pipe 618, a reinforcement pipe 620, a right guard retaining pipe 622, a left guard retaining pipe 624, and a front guard retaining pipe 626. All of the frame pipe 616, the floor pipe 618, the reinforcement pipe 620, the right guard retaining pipe 622, the left guard retaining pipe 624, and the front guard retaining pipe 626 are constituted of a steel material. The frame pipe 616 forms a substantially rectangular shape of which longitudinal direction is along the front-rear direction and short direction is along the right-left direction. The floor pipe 618 extends in the front-rear direction on substantially the same plane as the frame pipe 616, and front and rear ends thereof are welded to the frame pipe 616. The reinforcement pipe 620 extends in the right-left direction along lower surfaces of the frame pipe 616 and the floor pipe 618 and is welded to the frame pipe 616 and the floor pipe 618. The right guard retaining pipe 622 is disposed in the vicinity of a right end of the main frame 608, extends in the right-left direction along the lower surfaces of the frame pipe 616 and the floor pipe 618, and is welded to the frame pipe 616 and the floor pipe 618. The left guard retaining pipe 624 is disposed in the vicinity of a left end of the main frame 608, extends in the right-left direction along the lower surfaces of the frame pipe 616 and the floor pipe 618, and is welded to the frame pipe 616 and the floor pipe 618. The front guard retaining pipe 626 is disposed in the vicinity of a front end of the main frame 608, extends in the front-rear direction along the lower surface of the floor pipe 618, and is welded to the floor pipe 618. A hook 616 a projecting downward is disposed on the lower surface of the frame pipe 616. When roping a load placed on the container 602, the user can hook the rope on the hook 616 a.

The right guard 610 includes a guard pipe 628 and an insertion pipe 630. The guard pipe 628 and the insertion pipe 630 are both constituted of a steel material. The guard pipe 628 forms a substantially rectangular shape of which longitudinal direction is along the front-rear direction and short direction is along the up-down direction. The insertion pipe 630 extends in the right-left direction and a right end thereof is welded to a lower portion of the guard pipe 628. Insertion of the insertion pipe 630 into the right guard retaining pipe 622 enables the right guard 610 to be retained by the main frame 608. The right guard retaining pipe 622 includes a grip bolt 622 a for fixing the position of the insertion pipe 630 to the right guard retaining pipe 622. The user adjusts the position of the right guard 610 to the main frame 608 in the right-left direction with the grip bolt 622 a loosened and then tightens the grip bolt 622 a to fix the right guard 610 at a desired position to the main frame 608.

The left guard 612 includes a guard pipe 632 and an insertion pipe 634. The guard pipe 632 and the insertion pipe 634 are both constituted of a steel material. The guard pipe 632 forms a substantially rectangular shape of which longitudinal direction is along the front-rear direction and short direction is along the up-down direction. The insertion pipe 634 extends in the right-left direction and a left end thereof is welded to a lower portion of the guard pipe 632. Insertion of the insertion pipe 634 into the left guard retaining pipe 624 enables the left guard 612 to be retained by the main frame 608. The left guard retaining pipe 624 includes a grip bolt 624 a for fixing the position of the insertion pipe 634 to the left guard retaining pipe 624. The user adjusts the position of the left guard 612 to the main frame 608 in the right-left direction with the grip bolt 624 a loosened and then tightens the grip bolt 624 a to fix the left guard 612 at a desired position to the main frame 608.

The front guard 614 includes a guard pipe 636 and an insertion pipe 638. The guard pipe 636 and the insertion pipe 638 are both constituted of a steel material. The guard pipe 636 forms a substantially rectangular shape of which longitudinal direction is along the right-left direction and short direction is along the up-down direction. The insertion pipe 638 extends in the front-rear direction and a front end thereof is welded to a lower portion of the guard pipe 636. Insertion of the insertion pipe 638 into the front guard retaining pipe 626 enables the front guard 614 to be retained by the main frame 608. The front guard retaining pipe 626 includes a grip bolt 626 a for fixing the position of the insertion pipe 638 to the front guard retaining pipe 626. The user adjusts the position of the front guard 614 to the main frame 608 in the front-rear direction with the grip bolt 626 a loosened and then tightens the grip bolt 626 a to fix the front guard 614 at a desired position to the main frame 608.

The movable support base 604 includes a base plate 640, a lower frame 642, a handle 644, and a latch mechanism 646. The configurations of the base plate 640, the lower frame 642, the handle 644, and the latch mechanism 646 are similar to those of the base plate 510, the lower frame 516, the handle 518, and the latch mechanism 520 of the third container unit 500. The reinforcement pipe 620 of the main frame 608 is screwed to the base plate 640.

The fixed support base 606 includes a right channel 648, a left channel 650, a front plate 652, a rear plate 654, a reinforcement frame 656, and a latch receiver 658. The configuration of the fixed support base 606 is similar to that of the fixed support base 508 of the third container unit 500. Further, how the movable support base 604 is connected to the fixed support base 606 is similar to how the movable support base 504 is connected to the fixed support base 508 in the third container unit 500. That is, most of the components of the fourth container unit 600 are common with the components of the third container unit 500. Similar to the third container unit 500, when the user operates the unlatch knob 646 a to disengage the latch mechanism 646 from the latch receiver 658 in the state shown in FIG. 52 and further pivots the handle 644 forward, the movable support base 604 becomes tilted relative to the fixed support base 606 in the fourth container unit 600.

Fifth Container Unit 700

As shown in FIGS. 54 and 55, the fifth container unit 700 includes a bucket 702 and a support base 704. The support base 704 of the fifth container unit 700 is screwed and fixed to the chassis unit 4. In the fifth container unit 700, the bucket 702 is not fixed to the support base 704, thus the user can lift the bucket 702 to remove it from the support base 704 and place the bucket 702 onto the support base 704.

As shown in FIG. 54, the bucket 702 has a box shape with its upper side opened. A through hole 702 a is disposed in a lower portion of a front surface of the bucket 702. A cap 706 is detachably attached to the through hole 702 a.

As shown in FIG. 55, the support base 704 includes a central frame 708, a right channel 710, a left channel 712, a front plate 714, a rear plate 716, a right guard 718, and a left guard 720. All of the central frame 708, the right channel 710, the left channel 712, the front plate 714, and the rear plate 716 are constituted of a steel material. The central frame 708, the right channel 710, and the left channel 712 extend along the front-rear direction. The front plate 714 is welded to a front end of the central frame 708, a front end of the right channel 710, and a front end of the left channel 712. The rear plate 716 is welded to a rear end of the central frame 708, a rear end of the right channel 710, and a rear end of the left channel 712. As shown in FIG. 54, the fifth container unit 700 is fixed to the chassis unit 4 by screwing the front plate 714 to the right bracket 164 and the left bracket 170 of the front wheel unit 12 and screwing the rear plate 716 to the frame plate 130 of the chassis frame 10.

The right guard 718 includes a guard pipe 722 and a reinforcement pipe 724. The guard pipe 722 and the reinforcement pipe 724 are both constituted of a steel material. The guard pipe 722 extends in the front-rear direction along a right surface of the bucket 702. The guard pipe 722 is bent downward and leftward at a front end of the bucket 702 along a front surface of the bucket 702 and is connected to the front plate 714. The guard pipe 722 is also bent downward and leftward at a rear end of the bucket 702 along a rear surface of the bucket 702 and is connected to the rear plate 716. The reinforcement pipe 724 connects between the guard pipe 722 and the right channel 710.

As shown in FIG. 55, the left guard 720 includes a guard pipe 726 and a reinforcement pipe 728. The guard pipe 726 and the reinforcement pipe 728 are both constituted of a steel material. The guard pipe 726 extends in the front-rear direction along a left surface of the bucket 702. The guard pipe 726 is bent downward and rightward at the front end of the bucket 702 along the front surface of the bucket 702 and is connected to the front plate 714. The guard pipe 726 is also bent downward and rightward at the rear end of the bucket 702 along the rear surface of the bucket 702 and is connected to the rear plate 716. The reinforcement pipe 728 connects between the guard pipe 722 and the left channel 712.

As described, in one or more embodiments, the cart 2 (an example of handcart.) comprises the chassis frame 10 and the rear wheel frame 225 (examples of frame); the right front wheel 140 (an example of drive wheel) rotatably supported by the chassis frame 10 about a rotation axis extending in the right-left direction; the motor 150 (an example of prime mover) configured to rotate the right front wheel 140; the bracket 234 pivotably supported by the rear wheel frame 225 about the pivot axis RX1 extending in the up-down direction; and the right rear wheel 238 (an example of non-drive wheel) rotatably supported by the bracket 234 about the rotation axis RX2 extending in the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. The right rear wheel 238 includes the first right rear wheel 238 a (an example of first non-drive wheel) and the second right rear wheel 238 b (an example of second non-drive wheel). The first right rear wheel 238 a and the second right rear wheel 238 b are configured to be rotatable independent of each other.

When the right rear wheel 238 obliquely collides with the bump S and the first right rear wheel 238 a, for example, makes contact with the bump S, the above configuration allows the second right rear wheel 238 b, which is not in contact with the bump 5, to rotate relative to the first right rear wheel 238 a, thus the traveling direction of the right rear wheel 238 can thereby be easily changed to become perpendicular to the bump S. Even when the right rear wheel 238 obliquely collides with the bump S, the above configuration enables the right rear wheel 238 to easily cross over the bump S.

In one or more embodiments, in a top plan view of the cart 2, the rotation axis RX2 of the right rear wheel 238 is offset from the pivot axis RS1 of the bracket 234.

This configuration facilitates pivot of the bracket 234 relative to the rear wheel frame 225, as compared to a configuration in which the rotation axis RX2 of the right rear wheel 238 is disposed near the pivot axis RX1 of the bracket 234 in the top plan view of the cart 2.

In one or more embodiments, the cart 2 further comprises the lock mechanism 240 configured to lock pivot of the bracket 234 with respect to the rear wheel frame 225.

In this configuration, the pivot of the bracket 234 with respect to the rear wheel frame 225 can be locked by the lock mechanism 240 when it is not desired. User's convenience can be improved.

In one or more embodiments, the bracket 234 includes the right arm 234 b (an example of first arm) and the left arm 234 c (an example of second arm). The first right rear wheel 238 a and the second right rear wheel 238 b are disposed adjacent to each other between the right arm 234 b and the left arm 234 c.

This configuration enables the first right rear wheel 238 a and the second right rear wheel 238 b to turn in a small radius, as compared to a configuration in which the first right rear wheel 238 a and the second right rear wheel 238 b are disposed far apart from each other.

In one or more embodiments, the motor 150 functions as a prime mover configured to rotate the right front wheel 140.

This configuration can suppress vibrations transmitted to a load on the cart 2, as compared to a configuration in which an engine is used as the prime mover for rotating the right front wheel 140.

In one or more embodiments, the cart 2 further comprises the battery mounting portions 110 to which the battery packs 112 (an example of battery) are detachably attached. The motor 150 is driven by electric power from the battery packs 112.

This configuration enables the motor 150 to be supplied with the electric power, without connecting the cart 2 with an external power supply via a power cord.

In one or more embodiments, the rear wheel frame 225 is swingably supported by the chassis frame 10 about the swing axis PX extending in the front-rear direction, and the rear wheel frame 225 extends in a direction perpendicular to the swing axis PX. The right front wheel 140 is supported by the chassis frame 10. The bracket 234 is supported by the rear wheel frame 225. The cart 2 further comprises the left front wheel 142 (an example of second drive wheel) rotatably supported by the chassis frame 10 about a rotation axis extending in the right-left direction and configured to be rotated by the motor 150; the bracket 254 (an example of second bracket) pivotably supported by the rear wheel frame 225 about the pivot axis RX1 extending in the up-down direction; and the first left rear wheel 258 a (an example of third non-drive wheel) and the second left rear wheel 258 b (an example of fourth non-drive wheel) rotatably supported by the bracket 254 about the rotation axis RX2 extending in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and configured to be rotatable independent of each other. The right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 are disposed forward of the first right rear wheel 238 a, the second right rear wheel 238 b, the first left rear wheel 258 a, and the second left rear wheel 258 b. In a rear plan view of the cart 2, the swing axis PX is disposed above the straight line that passes (a) at least one of the upper end of the first right rear wheel 238 a and the upper end of the second right rear wheel 238 b and (b) at least one of the upper end of the first left rear wheel 258 a and the upper end of the second left rear wheel 258 b.

In this configuration, the rear wheel frame 225, which supports the first right rear wheel 238 a, the second right rear wheel 238 b, the first left rear wheel 258 a, and the second left rear wheel 258 b, pivots with respect to the chassis frame 10 about the swing axis PX extending in the front-rear direction. Thus, even when the cart 2 travels on an uneven surface, the configuration can keep the right front wheel 140, the left front wheel 142, the first right rear wheel 238 a, the second right rear wheel 238 b, the first left rear wheel 258 a, and the second left rear wheel 258 b in contact with the surface to follow the surface unevenness. The right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 can be prevented from being lifted up and spinning. Further, in the above configuration, the swing axis PX of the rear wheel frame 225 is disposed above the straight line that passes (a) at least one of the upper end of the first right rear wheel 238 a and the upper end of the second right rear wheel 238 b and (h) at least one of the upper end of the first left rear wheel 258 a and the upper end of the second left rear wheel 258 b. This configuration can suppress shakiness of a load transferred by the cart 2 and also can improve traveling performance of the cart 2 by maintaining a minimum ground clearance of the cart 2 high.

In one or more embodiments, the cart 2 further comprises the differential mechanism 208 configured to distribute power from the motor 150 to the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142.

In the configuration with the differential mechanism 208, if one of the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 is lifted up from the traveling surface and spins, the power is barely transmitted to the other of the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142, which dramatically deteriorates the traveling performance of the cart 2. The above-described configuration can prevent the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 from spinning, thus it can suppress the deterioration of the traveling performance of the cart 2.

In one or more embodiments, when the rear wheel frame 225 swings with respect to the chassis frame 10, the upper surface of the rear wheel frame 225 contacts the lower surface of the chassis frame 10 such that a swing range of the rear wheel frame 225 with respect to the chassis frame 10 is restricted.

This configuration enables the chassis frame 10 to function as a stopper that restricts the swing range of the rear wheel frame 225.

in one or more embodiments, the cart 2 (an example of handcart) comprises the motor 150 (an example of prime mover); the chassis frame 10; the front wheel unit 12 supported by the chassis frame 10; and the rear wheel unit 14 swingably supported by the chassis frame 10 about the swing axis PX extending in the front-rear direction. The front wheel unit 12 includes the right front wheel 140 (an example of first front wheel) and the left front wheel 142 (an example of second front wheel) configured to be driven by the motor 150. The rear wheel unit 14 includes the rear wheel frame 225 extending in a direction perpendicular to the swing axis PX and the right rear wheel 238 (an example of first rear wheel) and the left rear wheel 258 (an example of second rear wheel) supported by the rear wheel frame 225. In a rear plan view of the cart 2, the swing axis PX is disposed above the straight line that passes the upper end of the right rear wheel 238 and the upper end of the left rear wheel 258.

In this configuration, the rear wheel frame 225, which supports the right rear wheel 238 and the left rear wheel 258, swings with respect to the chassis frame 10 about the swing axis PX extending in the front-rear direction. Thus, when the cart 2 travels on an uneven surface, the configuration can keep the right front wheel 140, the left front wheel 142, the right rear wheel 238, and the left rear wheel 258 in contact with the surface to follow the surface unevenness. The right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142, which are drive wheels, can be prevented from being lifted up and spinning. Further, in the above configuration, the swing axis PX of the rear wheel frame 225 is disposed above the straight line passing the upper end of the right rear wheel. 238 and the upper end of the left rear wheel 258. This configuration can suppress shakiness of a load transferred by the cart 2 and also can improve the traveling performance of the cart 2 by maintaining a minimum ground clearance of the cart 2 high.

In one or more embodiments, the right rear wheel 238 and the left rear wheel 258 are non-drive wheels.

If at least one of the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142, which are drive wheels, spins in a configuration in which the right rear wheel 238 and the left rear wheel 258 are non-drive wheels, the traveling performance of the cart 2 is thereby deteriorated. The above-described configuration can prevent the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 from spinning, thus it can suppress the deterioration of the traveling performance of the cart 2.

In one or more embodiments, the front wheel unit 12 further includes the differential mechanism 208 configured to distribute power from the motor 150 to the right front wheel 140 and the left from wheel 142.

In the configuration with the differential mechanism 208, if one of the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 is lifted up from the traveling surface and spinning, the power is barely transmitted to the other of the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142, which deteriorates the traveling performance of the cart 2. The above-described configuration can prevent the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142 from spinning, thus it can suppress the deterioration of the traveling performance of the cart 2.

In one or more embodiments, when the rear wheel frame 225 swings with respect to the chassis frame 10, the upper surface of the rear wheel frame 225 contacts the lower surface of the chassis frame 10 such that a swing range of the rear wheel frame 225 with respect to the chassis frame 10 is restricted.

This configuration enables the chassis frame 10 to function as a stopper that restricts the swing range of the rear wheel frame 225.

In one or more embodiments, the motor 150 functions as a prime mover configured to rotate the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142.

This configuration can suppress vibrations transmitted to a load on the cart 2, as compared to a configuration in which an engine is used as the prime mover for rotating the right front wheel 140 and the left front wheel 142.

In one or more embodiments, the cart 2 further comprises the battery mounting portions 110 to which the battery packs 112 (an example of battery) are detachably attached. The motor 150 is driven by electric power from the battery packs 112.

This configuration enables the motor 150 to be supplied with the electric power, without connecting the cart 2 with an external power supply via a power cord. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A handcart comprising: a frame; a drive wheel rotatably supported by the frame about rotation axis extending in a right-left direction; a prime mover configured to rotate the drive wheel; a bracket pivotably supported by the frame about a pivot axis extending in an up-down direction; and a non-drive wheel rotatably supported by the bracket about a rotation axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, wherein the non-drive wheel includes a first non-drive wheel and a second non-drive wheel, and the first non-drive wheel and the second non-drive wheel are configured to be rotatable independent of each other.
 2. The handcart according to claim 1, wherein in a top plan view of the handcart, the rotation axis of the non-drive wheel is offset from the pivot axis of the bracket.
 3. The handcart according to claim 1, further comprising a lock mechanism configured to lock pivot of the bracket with respect to the frame.
 4. The handcart according to claim 1, wherein the bracket includes a first arm and a second arm, and the first non-drive wheel and the second non-drive wheel are disposed adjacent to each other between the first arm and the second arm.
 5. The handcart according to claim 1, wherein the prime mover includes a motor.
 6. The handcart according to claim 5, further comprising a battery mounting portion to which a battery is detachably attached, wherein the motor is driven by electric power from the battery.
 7. The handcart according to claim 1, wherein the frame includes: a chassis frame; and a rear wheel frame swingably supported by the chassis frame about a swing axis extending in a front-rear direction, the rear wheel frame extending in a direction perpendicular to the swing axis, the drive wheel is supported by the chassis frame, the bracket is supported by the rear wheel frame, the handcart further comprises: a second drive wheel rotatably supported by the chassis frame about a rotation axis extending in the right-left direction and configured to be rotated by the prime mover; a second bracket pivotably supported by the rear wheel frame about a pivot axis extending in the up-down direction; and a third non-drive wheel and a fourth non-drive wheel rotatably supported by the second bracket about a rotation axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and configured to be rotatable independent of each other, the drive wheel and the second drive wheel are disposed forward of the first non-drive wheel, the second non-drive wheel, the third non-drive wheel, and the fourth non-drive wheel, and in a rear plan view of the handcart, the swing axis is disposed above a straight line that passes (a) at least one of an upper end of the first non-drive wheel and an upper end of the second non-drive wheel and (b) at least one of an upper end of the third non-drive wheel and an upper end of the fourth non-drive wheel.
 8. The handcart according to claim 7, further comprising a differential mechanism configured to distribute power from the prime mover to the drive wheel and the second drive wheel.
 9. The handcart according to claim 7, wherein when the rear wheel frame swings with respect to the chassis frame, an upper surface of the rear wheel frame contacts a lower surface of the chassis frame such that a swing range of the rear wheel frame with respect to the chassis frame is restricted.
 10. A handcart comprising: a prime mover; a chassis frame; a front wheel unit supported by the chassis frame; and a rear wheel unit swingably supported by the chassis frame about a swing axis extending in a front-rear direction, wherein the front wheel unit includes a first front wheel and a second front wheel configured to be driven by the prime mover, the rear wheel unit includes: a rear wheel frame extending in a direction perpendicular to the swing axis; and a first rear wheel and a second rear wheel supported by the rear wheel frame, in a rear plan view of the handcart, the swing axis is disposed above a straight line that passes an upper end of the first rear wheel and an upper end of the second rear wheel.
 11. The handcart according to claim 10, wherein the first rear wheel and the second rear wheel are non-drive wheels.
 12. The handcart according to claim 10, wherein the front wheel unit further includes a differential mechanism configured to distribute power from the prime mover to the first front wheel and the second front wheel.
 13. The handcart according to claim 10, wherein when the rear wheel frame swings with respect to the chassis frame, an upper surface of the rear wheel frame contacts a lower surface of the chassis frame such that a swing range of the rear wheel frame with respect to the chassis frame is restricted.
 14. The handcart according to claim 10, wherein the prime mover includes a motor.
 15. The handcart according to claim 14, further comprising a battery mounting portion to which a battery is detachably attached, wherein the motor is driven by electric power from the battery. 